Mick Hartley

The screws tighten in North Korea. From the Daily NK:

North Korean authorities are tightening their grip on daily life through an expanded surveillance apparatus that demands citizens monitor and report on their neighbors. The campaign centers on revamped neighborhood watch units, where officials are pushing systematic mutual surveillance as a core social obligation.

According to a source in North Pyongan province, regional branches of the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea (SWUK) held year-end review sessions starting Dec. 20. The meetings evaluated how well members followed directives from above, including participation in political study sessions and compliance with neighborhood watch protocols.

Officials repeatedly instructed attendees to “keenly watch for behavior that goes against socialist lifestyles.”

“They kept emphasizing that we must raise each other’s awareness and immediately report non-socialist behavior so the enemies’ schemes don’t take root in people’s lives,” the source said.

While authorities have stressed mutual surveillance before, this year-end push signals their intent to make reporting a permanent, normalized feature of community life.

The meetings outlined specific “anti-socialist lifestyles” requiring reports: cohabitation without marriage licenses, illegally renting property, possessing contraband items, and consuming banned foreign media. “Unusual items” refers to goods imported from abroad—particularly South Korea—while banned media includes South Korean films, television programs, and music, all viewed by Pyongyang as regime threats.

The authorities paired incentives with threats to encourage compliance. Those who report anti-socialist behavior can receive material and political rewards, plus opportunities to tour major destinations or Pyongyang.

However, anyone who witnesses violations but fails to report them faces harsh consequences under Article 48 of the Public Reporting System Law: more than three months of unpaid labor, re-education through forced labor, or job termination.

The carrot here – “opportunities to tour major destinations or Pyongyang” – will, I imagine, be a lot less effective than the stick – “more than three months of unpaid labor, re-education through forced labor, or job termination”. But that’s North Korea.