Allegations of Kim's troops enforcement on DPRK China border

Japan’s Sankei Shimbun, citing a knowledgeable source of
North Korea, reported on Friday that the North Korean
leader Kim Jong Il commanded an increase of guards along
the China borderline, assigning this area as the “number
one front line of national defense.�

The Sankei Shimbun reported that this can be viewed as
reflecting leader Kim’s perception that the collapse of
North Korea’s regime will begin along the border with
China instead of the armistice line with South Korea.

According to the source, Kim ordered an increase of
guards along the border with China in July 2004, and
there have been intelligence agents disguised as
civilians assigned, national assistance department and
public security stations (police stations) set up, and a
threefold strengthening of the military defense arranged
along the Duman River and Aprok River area.

The Sankei Shimbun analyzed the reason for arranging
intelligence agents along the national frontier and
moving the military to guard the rear frontier is to
serve as a preventive measure of group escape by the
soldiers.

The source reported, “Even though the number of guards
has been strengthened, the number of North Korean
escapees is not decreasing because if you have money,
you can even bribe the soldiers or the policemen.�

The Sankei Shimbun further reported that North Korean
authorities are concerned about external news
infiltrating into North Korea as the number of cases of
escapees who have earned money in China and trying to
smuggle back into North Korea is again increasing.