[Kim Myongsung’s Inside North Korea] Fifty North Korean Defectors Forcibly Repatriated from Changbai, Jilin Province, China in Late April

Fifty North Korean defectors, previously detained in a prison in Changbai, Jilin Province, 

China, were forcibly repatriated to North Korea on the 26th of last month.

A North Korean propaganda video shows border guards arresting smugglers at the China border / Photo by SAND Institute English News Team

Local sources in Changbai report that the day following North Korea's Partisan Foundation Day, April 26th, saw fifty detained North Korean defectors transported by two buses through customs to Hyesan City in Ryanggang Province. The Chinese police, to avoid attracting attention, reportedly had the defectors change into civilian clothes for the repatriation. These individuals were among those not repatriated during a major operation last October, staying in China until their sentences ended.

Sources indicated Chinese authorities are thoroughly interrogating defectors, probing their escape timelines, accomplices, and any brokers who assisted them.

Additionally, Chinese security forces targeted North Korean women trafficked into rural areas who had started families with Chinese spouses. In March and April, over twenty of these women in Jilin Province were detained and repatriated.

China has reportedly supplied North Korea with surveillance gear to fully block border defections. Experts say this strengthens their ties, using defector repatriation as a diplomatic gesture to tighten border control.

Footage Surfaces of Kim Jong-un's Security Using Japanese Toyota Vehicles, Flouting North Korea Sanctions

NK News, a U.S.-based North Korean specialist outlet, reported on the 26th that Kim Jong-un's convoy was spotted with new Japanese Toyota SUVs.

Kim Jong-un's convoy, featuring Japanese Toyota vehicles, was spotted during his visit to Kim Il Sung National Defense University on the 25th for Anti-Japanese Partisan Foundation Day / Photo by Korean Central Television / Yonhap News Agency

NK News analyzed footage from North Korean Central Television showing Kim Jong-un’s visit to the Kim Il Sung National Defense University. In the eighteen-vehicle convoy, they spotted six Toyota Land Cruiser 300s, with their logos removed and emergency lights installed. 

This discovery is the latest evidence that North Korea is circumventing United Nations sanctions, which have banned the transfer of transportation vehicles to the country since 2017. The Land Cruiser, part of Toyota's J300 series launched in 2021, starts at 110 million Korean won (about $80,000).

These Toyotas were likely used to transport security personnel during Kim Jong-un’s visit to celebrate the 92nd anniversary of the Korean People's Army Foundation Day. NK News also noted the presence of two Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600 SUVs, two Lexus LX SUVs, two Ford Transit vans, and five older Mercedes-Benz sedans.

Earlier, in February, Kim Jong-un had received a luxury 'Aurus' car, known as the "Russian Rolls-Royce," from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NK News commented on the import of these foreign vehicles into North Korea, noting that while it is unclear how they were acquired, Kim Jong-un’s ability to sidestep international sanctions to import significant items indicates a potential for similar strategies in importing weapons and related manufacturing equipment.

Rodong Sinmun Publishes Three Speeches Urging Strengthening of 'Anti-American Alliance' by Kim Yo-jong and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Last month on the 24th, Rodong Sinmun released three speeches from Kim Yo-jong, a senior official from WPK, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' director of external publicity, and vice foreign minister Im Chon-il, all calling for a stronger anti-American alliance.

Kim Yo-jong, in her speech, sharply criticized the U.S., accusing it of hypocrisy by denouncing its “self-defensive” activities as violations of UNSC resolutions.

Kim Yo-jong, Senior Official of the Workers' Party of Korea / Photo by Korean Central Television

The criticisms seem to focus on recent U.S. objections to North Korea's military drills, such as the nuclear counterstrike simulation, which Pyongyang defends as rightful acts of self-defense, expressing strong discontent toward the U.S.

.

The Director of External Publicity echoed this sentiment, stating, "Our nation will not tolerate the abnormal criminalization of legitimate defense enhancements, and will resolutely protect its sovereign rights and legal interests with more decisive and explicit actions."

Im Chon-il, who oversees Russian affairs, referenced the U.S. House of Representatives' recent approval of a $60 billion military aid package to Ukraine, dismissing it as a "mere momentary illusion."

The speeches, while reiterating familiar assertions, highlight efforts to weaken international sanctions through global anti-American solidarity. North Korea’s continued close ties with Russia, a leading anti-U.S. advocate, and its expanding diplomatic outreach to other anti-American nations like Iran and Belarus, align with this strategy.

North Korea's plan to launch three reconnaissance satellites by year-end, viewed internationally as provocative, appears to be an attempt to shift blame for escalating tensions to South Korea and the U.S.