Kim Sam-sok and Kim Un-ju, brother and sister, were arrested without warrants on 8 September by the Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) and held incommunicado for two days. According to family members who were subsequently permitted brief access to them, they had been beaten and deprived of sleep. They are apparently detained under the National Security Law, and may face charges of espionage for North Korea. There is concern that they may face long-term detention as prisoners of conscience and an unfair trial on national security charges. There is further concern that they may be subject to further ill-treatment and may be coerced into making a “confession”.
