North Korean Soldier Given 'Sleeping Pills' to Escape... Kim Jong-un Furious, Orders "Catch Them Even If It Costs Billions"

Crossing the Amnok River to China
National Security Agency orders arrest and seeks cooperation from Chinese Public Security Bureau

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] Following an incident in Yanggang Province, North Korea, where a family gave sleeping pills to a North Korean soldier on duty before defecting, Chairman Kim Jong-un reportedly became furious and issued a direct order known as the 'Directive No. 1.'

On the 15th, the North Korea-focused media outlet Daily NK reported that in the early hours of the 1st, a family of four from Kim Hyong-jik County in Yanggang Province, near the border with China, crossed the Yalu River into China.

The family, who were on friendly terms with the border guards to the extent that the guards frequently visited their residence, learned that the border guard unit commander (sergeant) was scheduled to be on duty in the early hours of the 1st.

The family had prepared carbonated drinks and bread mixed with sleeping pills in advance and handed them to the unit commander who visited their home that day. They also gave an extra carbonated drink and bread to a lower-ranking soldier who was on duty with him.

Having sustained their livelihood through smuggling, the family was well aware of the routes leading to China and had detailed knowledge of the specific sections where the border guards were stationed.

North Korean Workers' Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un is delivering a speech commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Party's founding on October 11. / Photo by Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News

After the family defected, the border guards immediately reported the incident to their superiors, and the information was passed on to the Central State Security Department. Consequently, on the following day, the 2nd, Chairman Kim issued Directive No. 1, ordering, "No matter the cost, capture the national traitors and punish them severely as an example."

He further instructed, "The act of the people drugging soldiers and fleeing is a serious violation of military-civilian relations," and ordered a comprehensive review of the ideological stance of the border military and civilians.

The unit commander who fell asleep after consuming the food given by the defecting family was immediately detained in a military prison and interrogated. During the investigation, the commander stated, "They were not economically disadvantaged and were residents from so-called 'revolutionary' families with no relatives who had fled or committed crimes."

However, he added, "Recently, after barriers and high-voltage wires were installed in the border area, this family said things like, 'If smuggling is no longer possible, there is no hope. Without smuggling, one cannot live like a human being.'"

Meanwhile, the State Security Department reportedly assigned arrest missions to its agents in China and requested cooperation from Chinese public security authorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.