Russian government arrests Uzbek for helping North Koreans escape

The Russian government has arrested an Uzbek cleric who helped bring North Korean defectors out of the Russian Far East. As Russia strengthens its ties with North Korea, the Russian government appears to be working proactively to prevent the escape of North Koreans living in Russia.

A source in Russia, who asked not to be identified, told Daily NK on Friday that Russian authorities arrested the Uzbek man, identified here only as “A,” in Vladivostok in the Primorye region in January. “A,” who is married to a woman of Korean descent, is reportedly fluent in Korean.

Perhaps for this reason, “A” often introduced himself to acquaintances as a pastor and South Korean citizen. However, whether “A” is actually a South Korean citizen or an officially ordained pastor has not yet been confirmed, the source said.

As a Korean-speaking foreigner, “A” seems to have been relatively accessible to North Koreans working in Russia.

“A” had made a habit of rescuing North Korean workers attempting to defect by driving them to other areas of Russia in his own car. However, he did not provide these services out of the goodness of his heart, the source said. After putting North Koreans in his car, he reportedly demanded money for helping them escape.

“When he first approached North Korean workers, he claimed he was helping them because he cared about their human rights. But when North Korean workers actually decided to desert and leave their jobs, he said he would not drive them (to their destination) unless they paid for it,” the source said.

When North Korean defectors had large amounts of money on them, he reportedly urged them to leave their cash with him, suggested they do business together, or warned them of the risk of losing their money or being robbed by other brokers during the defection process.

“Most North Korean workers who decided to flee at great risk to their lives felt they had no choice but to pay the man – as unfair as that seemed – or abandon their plans and return to work,” the source said.

Some North Korean workers familiar with him were reportedly pleased with the news after learning of “A”’s arrest by Russian authorities, even though it closed an escape route.

Whatever the case, the incident shows that Russian authorities are proactively cracking down on defections by North Korean workers, one of the ways in which North Korea and Russia appear to be working more closely together as their relations rapidly improve.

“There have been several recent cases of Russian intelligence agents arresting North Koreans leaving their workplaces and handing them over to North Korean state security agents. The two countries appear to have held talks on preventing defections,” the source said.

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