Despite These Measures, the Practice Has Persisted, As State Rations Alone Have Proven Insufficient to Sustain Livelihoods in South Korea

North Korea has issued a sweeping order banning family members of officials in law enforcement agencies — including the State Security Department, the Ministry of Social Security, and prosecutors' offices — from engaging in business activities, warning that violators' relatives in official positions will be dismissed or removed from their posts, according to a source in South Hamgyong Province. The directive, delivered earlier this month by the provincial party committee, has prompted law enforcement bodies across the province to hold immediate meetings to relay the order to their officials, the source told Daily NK on Aug. 25. "The wives of officials are now being very cautious, the source said.

This is not the first time Pyongyang has cracked down on such practices. In the past, officials whose family members were caught doing business were demoted from city to county posts or transferred to departments with fewer opportunities for illicit gains. Despite these measures, the practice has persisted, as state rations alone have proven insufficient to sustain livelihoods. Over time, officials' wives have evolved into "big-money backers who fund businesses from behind the scenes rather than running them directly.