LOCAL DETACHMENTS OF THE NORTH KOREAN MINISTRY OF SOCIAL SECURITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R011400250002-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 19, 2001
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: April 17, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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FEB 1952 51-411A
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CLASS I F I CAT IQN CON IDENTI,AL
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO.
CD NO.
COUNTRY Korea
SUBJECT
DATE DISTR. 17 April 1952
Local Detachments of the North Korean Ministry NO. OF PAGES 4
of Social Security
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
P
LACE^~^ SUPPLEMENT TO
A^^1 If
Hwyanghane Province Detachment
In July 1951 the Hwanghae Province Detachment of the Ministry of Social Security
was in a group of fifteen houses, seven of them with -tile roofs and the other
eight with thatched roofs, in the village of Obong-ni (approximately
125599 38-32, YC-6069), The unit, which arrived in the area 20 February 1951,
was commanded by a colonel about 39 years old, and had 50 men. The detachment
was handling all political criminals, whether military or civilian, apprehended
in Hwanghae Province. Each day about 20-prisoners were brought to the five
shelters In a valley at (YC-598693) which were used as a prison. There were
about 353 prisoners being held at this location in July 1951; 53 were suspected
United Nations espionage agents, seven were North Korean army deserters, and
the remaining 293 persons were held on various charges of anti-government
activity. The suspects were investigated at this prison, and when the inves-
tigation was completed, military prisoners were sent to a court-martial at
(YC-591693) in Obong-ni, and civilian suspects were sent to the Hwanghae Province
People's Court in Samch-&-my6n, HwangJu-gun (1251.52, 38-32) (YC-5068) for
prosecution.
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Haeju Detachment
The headquarters of the Haeju City detachment of the MSS in January 1952 was
at the site of a former Japanese shrine in 0kkye-dong.(125-42, 38-03) (YC_3714)
in Haeju.. The grounds of the former shrine are south of Suyang-san, and the
office of the detachment was in an L-shaped building immediately west of the
main shrine buildings, which have been destroyed by fire. The functions of
this office included the investigation and arrest of anti-Communist residents
of the area and United Nations espionage agents. The office was attempting
to double some of the agents and return them to ROK territory. Chief of the
office in January was Major 0 Song-hwan ( & J 3k}, aged 33.
3. To aid in counter-intelligence operations of the detachment, seven villages
branch offices were established at Haeju by the detachment in Kwangsongni,
Sonch'on-ni, Changch'un-ni, Kuche-ri, P'ach'on-ni, Sokkye-ri, and East Haeju.
After the officials of the branches were appointed, they were permitted a
two-week probationary period in which their accomplishments and efficiency.
were observed. Those officers who failed to produce satisfactory results were
immediately replaced.
Chinnsmp'o Detachment
k. In January 1952 the Chinnamp'o city detachment of the Ministry of Social
Security was principally engaged in the dispatch of intelligence agents into
the?ROK through its First Section. The activities of the department were
being, directed by three resident agentsl on assignment from the headquarters of
the MSS. The Chinnamp'o detachment was organized in January 1952 as follows:
First Section, concerned with positive intelligence, had Information and
Education Sub-sections.
b. Second Section, concerned with counter-intelligence, had Investigation and
Reports Sub-sections.
c. Third Section, handling other counter-intelligence duties, had Interrogation
and Censorship Sub-sections.
Preliminary Examination Section. This section investigated prospective
agents and suspected hostile agents.
Document Control Section, charged with the custody of confidential docu-
ments. This section is sometimes known as the confidential Documents Section.
Accounting Section,
g. Liaison Section. This section provides couriers and inter-office messengers.
In addition to the above units, there was a Special Activity Unit2 under the
resident agents assigned to the detachment from the MSS headquarters; the unit
reported to the chief of the detachment through the resident agents..
J
Min! Detachment
5. In early February 1952 the Ullyul (125-12, 38-31) (X0.9265) detachment of the
Ministry of Social Security was recruiting agents from among refugees in the
Kuurol-san (125?16, 38-30) (XC-9863) area and from staff members of various
North Korean organizations who have committed faults not serious enough to
be punished by prison sentences. These agents were being given the following
objectives to complete as part of their missions:
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CONFIDENTIAL
a. Penetration of any of the United Nations intelligence organizations
stationed on islands off the west coast, and the collection of lists of
staff personnel of the organizations and their duties.
Information on liaison and communications between the various islands and
their support bases in rear areas.
c; Information on the treatment given agents sent into North Korea by United
Nations intelligence organizations, the missions assigned them, and the
reception and treatment of agents who successfully complete missions in
North Korea and return safely.
6. The vUllyul detachment was supplying its agents with operations funds of about
30,000 ROK won and one gold ring about 50 grams in weight. The detachment
planned to infiltrate the agents into the ROK by concealing them among groups
of refugees moving south.
Use of Surrendered United Nations Agents and 'T'heir Families
7. In late 1951 the North Korean Ministry of Social Security and the Ministry of
Internal Affairs announced they had adopted a policy of leniency toward United
Nations agents and collaborators who surrendered to them. Some officials claimed
that any one who had. been working on behalf of anti-Communist nations or any
other foreign power, and who surrendered voluntarily to confess his acts against
the North Korean government would be released within three hours after signing
a loyalty oath. They said this could be done at any county or district police
station, or if the person lived in a village more than ten miles from a police
station, he might surrender to his local people's committee without fear of
Punishment; when released, he would be given two packs of cigarettes. The
officials claimed that the policies laid down by the two ministries assured
that those who confessed would be free from further interrogation, free from
fear of punishment, and that they would be accorded the same treatment in their
daily life as anyone else in their city or village in spite of their past crimes.
~. In reality, however, when collaborators or agents did surrender the policy
ended, and the reality of actual measures began. The names of those who sur-
rendered and all members of their families were immediately placed in the re-
cruiting files of the Ministry of Social Security. Any member of the family
might then be selected for some mission and warned that the crimes of his
relative would be completely forgiven only if the mission were accomplished
successfully. The missions were usually assignments to collect intelligence
in the ROK
9.
Farmers who lived in areas of Kyonggi Province in the ROK occupied by Com-
munist forces, and others in areas along the front lines everywhere, were
particularly subject to such pressure tactics. They were instructed to cross
the lines, disguised as refugees, to contact friends and relatives whose homes
might be used as bases of operations, or who might themselves supply information.
Members of the family of the agent who had confessed to various crimes were
held as hostages to guarantee the return of the agent.
Agents selected by these methods received individual instruction for a brief
period under a program which included the following three phases:
Indoctrination: explanation of Communist Party history; outline of plans
for a "people's economy;" and propaganda on the Korean war emphasizing
the certainty of Communist victory over the opposing imperialistic countries.
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b Infilttation techniques: instruction on action to be taken.in passing
through United Nations positions, use of disguises, and answers to questions
which might be asked the agent in case of capture- and interrogation.
Intelligence and reporting: training in the collection of information
and methods of covert communication.
Although agents sometimes saw each other during the training, they were for-
bidden to talk or associate with other agents.
25X1A 1. Comments KIM P'a had assigned loyal subordinates to be chiefs or
representatives of "resident units" of the }W in order to maintain better
25X1A control of information channels at low levels, The
25X1A Chinnamp'o detachment is described in some detail in
EPE
25X1A =Comment. one report states that agents for Special Activity Groups
T'tksu Kongchak:) were being trained in November 1951 for subversive
political activity and sabotage in the ROK, and another describes the
political missions of Special Operations teams, a project of KIM P'a's.
25X1A and Comment 1 above. 25X1A
CONFIDENTIAL
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