Ministry of Social Security (North Korea)

The Ministry of Social Security commonly known as BoAn (Korean: 보안; Hanja: 保安) or the Ministry of Peoples Security is a law enforcement agency in North Korea.[1]

Ministry of Social Security
조선민주주의인민공화국 사회안전성
Emblem of the Ministry of Social Security
Emblem of the Ministry of Social Security
Patch worn by guards in Pyongyang
Patch worn by guards in Pyongyang
Flag used by the Ministry of People's Security
Flag used by the Ministry of People's Security
Agency overview
FormedNovember 19, 1945 (1945-11-19)
Operational structure
HeadquartersPyongyang, North Korea
Minister responsible
Parent agencyState Affairs Commission
Child agencies
Politics of North Korea
Constitution
Workers' Party of Korea
Congress (8th)
Supreme People's Assembly
14th term
State Affairs Commission
14th term
Cabinet
14th term
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
Related topics
flag North Korea portal

Unlike most ministries in North Korea, which operate under the Cabinet, the Ministry of Social Security is directly supervised by the State Affairs Commission.[2] The current minister is Ri Yong-gil.

According to Fyodor Tertitskiy, columnist at NK News, prospective officers are chosen by recommendation by a local Korean Workers Party (WPK) Committee, although some are chosen because of their songbun status.[3]

History

The ministry was first created as the Political Security Bureau (Korean: 정치보안국) on November 19, 1945.[4] The bureau became a subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in September 1948.[5] The bureau became a separate ministry known as the Ministry of Social Security (Korean: 사회안전성) in May 1951.[4] However, the ministry was later merged back with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in October 1952.[5]

The Ministry of Social Security was re-established in October 1962 after splitting from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[5] It became the Social Security Department (Korean: 사회안전부) in December 1972.[4] The department was a subordinate to the Administration Council. In April 1982, the department was split from the Administration Council [6] but was later returned to its control in December 1986.

The department was renamed back to the Ministry of Social Security in September 1998 and became subordinate to the Cabinet.[4][5] In April 2000, the name of the ministry was changed to Ministry of People's Security (Korean: 인민보안성).[4] In April 2010, the ministry became the People's Security Department (Korean: 인민보안부) and was transferred to the control of the National Defence Commission.[4]

In 2016, the department was renamed back to the Ministry of People's Security and became subordinate to the State Affairs Commission.[4]

In May 2020, it was changed back to the Ministry of Social Security.[7]

Duties

Beyond policing, its services include operating the prison system in North Korea which is part of the Corrections Bureau of the Ministry of Social Security, monitoring the public distribution system and providing bodyguards to important persons.[8]

The Ministry of Social Security gathers information from local informers in social units about irregular acts. If a case is believed to be of a political nature, it is instead handed over to the Ministry of State Security for investigation.[8]

Structure

Korean People's Social Security Forces

The Korean People's Social Security Forces (Korean: 조선인민내무군) formerly known as People's Guards Forces (Korean: 조선인민경비대)[9] is subordinated to the ministry[10] is in charge of security for major national facilities such as military demarcation lines, borders, and coastal security, as well as government buildings, Yongbyon nuclear facilities, power plants, and broadcasting facilities. It is the country's national gendarmerie and civil defense organization organized in military lines.

In the 1980s, the work of the People's Guards was transferred to the National Security Agency, and the border guard was believed to have passed to the People's Armed Forces Ministry in October 1996. In 2010 the then People's Security Forces became the People's Internal Security Forces, and in 2020 was renamed as the People's Social Security Forces.

Equipment

Ministers of Interior

Ministers of Social Security

Ranks
RankInsignia
General
Colonel General
Lieutenant General
Major General
Senior Colonel
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Senior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Junior Lieutenant
First Sergeant
Senior Sergeant
Sergeant
Junior Sergeant
Corporal
Lance Corporal
Senior Private
Private

See also

References
  1. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "North Korea", accessed August 29, 2014.
  2. "Organizational Chart of North Korean Leadership" (PDF). Seoul: Political and Military Analysis Division, Intelligence and Analysis Bureau; Ministry of Unification. January 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. "Daily duty: Inside North Korea's regular police force | NK News – North Korea News". 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  4. "인민보안성". Ministry of Unification. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. "인민보안부". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. "국가안전보위부 & 기타기관". KBS WORLD Radio. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  7. "North Korea likely renames Ministry of People's Security | NK News". 3 June 2020.
  8. Schwekendiek, Daniel (19 April 2011). A Socioeconomic History of North Korea. McFarland. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-7864-8541-3.
  9. 조선인민경비대(朝鮮人民警備隊)
  10. North Korean government courier attacked by soldiers
  11. Kim, Jeongmin (February 14, 2020). "North Korea may have appointed a new Minister of People's Security, South says".
  12. "DPRK Gets a New Police Boss". 4 January 2022.

39°4′49″N 125°46′3″E

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