ACTIVITIES OF THE NORTH KOREAN BUREAU OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS IN SEOUL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R007400290003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 27, 1999
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: April 26, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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KIFORIVIATOOK REPORT CD WI
0, iNTRY Fcrea
SUBJECT Activities of the North Korea a Bureau of
Internal Affairs in Seoul
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
25X1A
25X1X
DATE DISTR. 2C Ari:c 51
NO, OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
. On 10 January 1951, five days after the North Koreaa forces entered Semi, nine
offices of the North Korean Internal Affairs Bureau were established in tea
city. They occupy former Republic of Korea nonce bureau buildings in ceetral
Seoul, Choneno, Songbuk, Songdong, Tongdaemun, Sodaemun. Mano, Tongan, ard
Yengdungpo. According to an official of the Ohongno office, the central Aeade
quarters for Seoul are at the ahongno Internal Affairs Bureau and are urder
the direction of KIM Pta (e.c. :a ).
11,k-
2. One hundred staff members for the Internal Affairs Bureau were sent to Seeul by
the North Korean Minintry of National Defense. On 20 January, ten of thole
eersons were assigned to each branch of the _Bureau in Seoul and the remaining
ten to the headquarters. These personnel serve as, roopectively, bureau Aead?
chiefs of the securit7, insPection, garrison, cultural, defenee, senitatien,
education, and confidential affairs sections; and one miscellaneous officlel.
Bureau heads attend a. daily confereace at headquarters and (mend most of their
time outside their own offices. In their absence, the head of the eeourity
section acts as bureau chief. In comnarison with similar Bureau organizations
in North Korea, these offices in Seoul are more economically arranged, vith
fewer personnel.
3. On 21 January, tho section chiefs began to organize their individua unite.
Each had brought some North Korean personnel with him, and other emoloytee ware
found among acquaintances or through recommendatione from acquaintances. Pere
sons mroloyed locally are not allowed to return to their homes but are keet at
the office, given throe meals daily (each consisting of rice and a towl'e sem)),
zead compelled to work on the office floor, without leaks. Organieaaon'werle was
completed by 30 Jenuary. The ahongno Internal Affairs Bureau then, for aeamele,
had 50 medbers, inetuding the ten staff from North :Korea and 40 miseellteeeous
employees. Staff Members wear Forth Korean army uniforms and carry eistols;
other employees are not armed and wear ordinary civilien clothes,. In beth ao-
pearance an attitude, since the staff glees orders and the -other nersonre n e-
tae irorth Korean emnloyees ere easily distinguished from the inal041oat:,
eonnel.
MASSIF
[STATE NAVY
ARMY' 1)41 NSRB
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Document No.
3
No Change In Class. D
nj Declassified
Changed To IS S
: HR 70-2
03 AUG 173 By214
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!VWIAL
CU T
R J.a14 ObleCE AGEACY
Units for maintaining public order were organized in eauh district of eeoul 07e
a smell number of local residents and nereons released from Rae), eteiaamun ane
Ti Tgae Won (1: Ateejekd Army Prisons. As soon as the Internal effeira Bureaee
were formed, i ese palic order uaits were placed under the ohtee of to locae
security sections. Unit members are, in effect, law-level emnioeeee of the In-
ternal Affairs Bureeu. Thus by 30 January, the Chongno unit had 200 members
and a staff anpointed by the Chongno security section chief. Those officials
concealed their true names and addressed one another only as Comrade KIM or
Comrade Yl.
5e Between 7 end 30 January, the Internal Affairs Bureaus reached a totel employ-
ment figure of 20260, including the 100 Korth Korean staff memberei n6) local
employees0 and 1,800 public order unit personnel.. In addition, an unknown num-
ber of secret agents was directly employed by the Chief of the deoeenee section
of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
6. The Atectione of public order units are to guard the Internal Affeles Bureau,
ita branch offices, and other imoortant places end to nroteut imnorteet offie,
ciale; to regulate traffic; to conduct patrols; to take required emernency
action (not enecified under what circumstances); and to rerair wee peestruct
air-raid shehtere and barricades. Unit meMbers are authorized to investigate,
question, and arrest persons but are not authorized to conduct eeeoutions. ?le
late January, unit personnel were so greatly disturbed by UN aiT "aide that
they could hardly keep order and were unable to do their work eyetemeeically.
They were tryine, however, to locate and report weapons, camerase.eolesconeo,
and radios, and they often confiscate these articles when discovered. Individr
ual unit meters have no definite assignments but are instructed to report none-
staatly and in detail on conditions in their neighberhoods.
7. Persons reported to the Internol Affairs Bureau by the public order units are
often subjected to immediate punishment without explanation or investegation.
For example, when an agent renorted that a local women wee the eiferee a low-
level member of the Northwest Youth Oorpe who had fled to itusani she leeseimme-
diately imprisoned as a member of the Corns and her house was cenfiseeted ane
occupied by the informer. Most ROK government officials and UN sympathizers
fled the city before the North Koreans entered, but any eho remrin ane any per-
sons believed to have assisted the UN are subject to imprisonmert or execution.
Order of Priority for their arrest is ROK intellectuals, ROK governmee offi-
cials, and wealthy persons.
tie
For example, a man of some means had fled the city, leaving an eldeele woman
relative to teke care of his house in Seoul. On 10 January a klertheearean non-
cervissioned officer and a soldier ordered the woman out of the houee on the
grounds that the owner had grown rich by exploiting the people end ereve her
off with only a small amount of food, stating that since she wee a relative ?4'
the rich man she must suffer. Other instances were noted of women left tc
look after nroperty being evicted without being permitted to remove aaything
from their homes. Arrests were made of individuals who nad sensed the UU in-
terest, even of shopkeepers whose principal customers hee been eoreieaers, and
of persons found reading English books.
9. One of the functions of the Public order unit is the control of movevent from
Seoul into the countryside e up to 30 January here wan no formal travel permit,
hot a traveler obtained a hand-written statemeet from an army cempany commander
of the head of an Internal Affairs Bureau and eigned. by the heal of the Oentral
internal Affairs Bureau, in the following form
CONFMNTIAL
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:eresent addresn!:
4nme:
ftEttil
CENT. INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
At82-00457R00740023&A
hereby permit the above-named comrade to travel from Seoul to Sumn
aPea during the seven-day periOd from 20 January to 27 January to
peat culturel Propaganda posters.
26 January 1951 KIM 11-su (4- -- 714- )(seal)
Read of Central Internal Affeire nexeeu
1(7) It was observed, however, that the certificates were Tess effect:
mits than certain missione or items being carried. Me Poreon tv,r!
posters was allowed to proceed because of his miosion, and men c;
tion but without permits were allowed to pass when travelere witY
but without missions were kept from leaving Seoul. Chndts are ma,
points on roads leeding out of the city. Groups of three memberf,
lic order units or occasionally non-commissioned officers and sol
North Korean army stop departing travelers and question, them, ask
lowing; Where is your home? Where are you going and. why? Have
your family? Whore ie he, and. whet in he Ooing now?
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CONFINITIAL
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