North Korean defectors in China rattled by police photo visits

North Korean defectors living in China are reportedly gripped by fear after police in their neighborhoods began making repeated visits to photograph them, sources told Daily NK on Wednesday, amid heightened security tied to China’s biggest annual political meetings.

A source in China said police in defectors’ neighborhoods have been calling ahead to schedule the date and time of their visits. According to the source, Chinese police stepped up their surveillance of defectors this month.

In Shenyang, Liaoning province, a defector identified as “A” received a visit on March 6 from three officers from the neighborhood substation seeking to photograph her. Officers had called four days earlier to give advance notice.

“On March 2, I received a call from the police. After asking about my health, they told me they would be visiting on March 6 to take my photograph. Just seeing the substation number on my phone freaks me out, so you can imagine that having them come to my house to take my photograph makes me feel like a criminal,” she said.

“I was feeling pretty good about the lack of calls and summons this year. Now it’s distressing that they’re taking my picture again. My depression has gotten so bad I sometimes spend the whole day weeping.”

“B,” a defector living in Changbai, Jilin province, had a similar experience. On March 5, officers from the neighborhood substation visited her house to photograph her as well.

“They came by for a photograph in January. Oddly enough, I didn’t hear from them in February, but then they came by for another photograph in March,” she said. “I’ve been through this before, but being asked to come to the substation or informed of a home visit is very stressful.”

Lianghui security sweeps drive heightened scrutiny

The police actions appear to represent a broad sweep rather than any targeted crackdown on defectors specifically. Chinese authorities are especially vigilant during the Lianghui (the dual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s most significant annual political events), and neighborhood substations across the country are conducting reviews. Local police appear to be intensifying their oversight of defectors in preparation for these inspections.

Regardless of the rationale, defectors say each police visit deepens their sense of insecurity and, in some cases, causes genuine psychological harm. Many carry the traumatic memory of past roundups in which large numbers of defectors were summarily repatriated to North Korea, and the fear of being sent back never fully fades.

“A,” who regularly exhibits depressive tendencies, has been negatively affected by the visits and is currently being cared for by her Chinese family members. “B” is also showing signs of severe mental distress and has made suicidal comments to friends and family.

“For defectors, it’s very distressing for the police to come by for photographs or summon them to the substation. That’s the case not only for ‘A’ and ‘B’ but for nearly all defectors living in China,” the source said. “Surveillance and oversight are all well and good, but the authorities ought to ensure they get psychological treatment as well.”

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