Ministry of State Security (North Korea)

"State Security Department" redirects here. For the Lithuanian agency, see State Security Department of Lithuania.
Ministry of State Security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
조선민주주의인민공화국 국가보위성
{{{logocaption}}}
Flag used by the MoSS
Flag used by the MoSS
Agency overview
Formed1973
EmployeesClassified
Annual budgetClassified
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionNorth Korea
Operational structure
HeadquartersPyongyang
39°4′29″N 125°46′7″E / 39.07472°N 125.76861°E / 39.07472; 125.76861
Elected officers responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyState Affairs Commission of North Korea
Ministry of State Security
Chosŏn'gŭl
국가보위성
Hancha
Revised RomanizationGukga bowi seong
McCune–ReischauerKukka powi sŏng

The Ministry of State Security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea[a] (Korean: 조선민주주의인민공화국 국가보위성) is the secret police agency of North Korea. It is an autonomous agency of the North Korean government reporting directly to the Supreme Leader.[2][3] In addition to its internal security duties, it is involved in the operation of North Korea's concentration camps, prisons and various other hidden activities.[4] The agency is reputed to be one of the most brutal secret police forces in the world, and has been involved in numerous human rights abuses.[3]

It is one of two agencies which provides security or protection to North Korean officials and VIPs alongside the Supreme Guard Command.[3][5]

  1. ^ Bermudez 2001, p. 198.
  2. ^ Library of Congress Country Studies
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference United Nations Human Rights Council 2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Bermudez 2001, pp. 198–203.
  5. ^ Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr. (2005). "SIGINT, EW, and EIW in the Korean People's Army: an Overview of Development and Organization" (PDF). In Mansourov, Alexandre Y. (ed.). Bytes and Bullets: Information Technology Revolution and National Security on the Korean Peninsula. Honolulu: Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. pp. 234–275. OCLC 977455303.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).