◆Strip searches conducted on women
Security checks and searches are being strengthened in North Korea. A female partner, reporting from Yanggang Province, went around rural northern areas from May to June to purchase herbal medicine ingredients for resale. She said that she was frequently stopped and questioned by the police during this period.
"They thoroughly inspect not only your load but also your car, even by taking out the seats. I entered a farmhouse, whose owner is an acquaintance, but the police showed up and dragged me out saying that I wasn’t registered to stay. They confiscated all 30 kilograms of my herbal medicine ingredients,” she said.
The situation is even harsher at a checkpoint called the ‘10th Guard Post’, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of State Security (secret police). The process for security checks was described by a female reporting partner in North Hamkyung Province as follows.
"A metal detector was brought into the '10th Guard Post.' If the detector sounds when taken near your body or load, you have to unpack and show them everything. Even if you’re a woman, they will strip search you without exception and even check inside your underwear. People are scared and don’t carry around anything that could cause trouble if discovered.”
According to reports, security agents pay special attention to USB drives or memory cards from China, Chinese cell phones, and drugs. (Kang Ji-won)
Editor’s notes on North Korean reporters
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