Life-threatening activities for the remaining North Korean residents… “Someone has to do it”
The process of sending money to North Korea is carried out through the South Korea-China-North Korea route. Because it has to be carried out every second regardless of day or night, he cannot utilize Korean banks that close early in the afternoon.
Hwang said, “We conduct business with the help of them (Chinese) in Seoul’s A area where many Chinese people are concentrated,” and “Then, a broker in China hands over the money, excluding the commission fee, to the North Korean broker at the North Korean and Chinese border which is near the telecommunication base station.” A phone call between the family in North Korea and the defector is possible only after this process.
There is a strong opinion that the defector’s commission is excessive. Although it soared to 60% during the strict lockdown control of COVID-19, Hwang suggests it can’t be helped because it is risking life.
Even if the amount is delivered safely, urgent situations are inevitable. If family members in North Korea spend the money extravagantly after receiving it, they are easily snitched by nearby residents, which has countless cases.
He said, “North Korea is a society where everyone watches each other,” and “If you are caught by the security department for using too much money, you are taken to a labor concentration camp, and if you have a close relationship with a South Korean during the investigation, you are transferred to a political prisoner camp, and you cannot guarantee your life.”
Increase in defectors… Kim Jong Un’s regime can’t help but feel a crisis
Hwang is also in charge of safely extracting defectors in conjunction with the money transfer business. The more they settle in South Korean society, the more the Kim Jong Un regime must feel precarious. If the defector plucking one North Korean to the South is a sixth cousin, it can make more enemies for Kim Jong Un.
He said, “The more you escape from North Korean society, the more questions North Korean residents must have about Kim Jong Un, and North Korean authorities are also afraid of this part.” He also said, “It’s desirable for the government to inform about the human rights situation in North Korea, but substantial support must also be carried out underground.”
He added, “Because North Korea has nuclear weapons, there are plenty of ways to win without fighting,” and “The government’s help is urgently needed to bring out more defectors.”
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