N. Korea runs alleged secret prison at Beijing embassy: report

North Korea allegedly maintains a clandestine detention center within its embassy in Beijing to interrogate and repatriate nationals deemed threats to the regime, according to a report released Tuesday by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG). The report, titled "North Korea's Transnational Repression: China," claims the facility is situated in the basement of the embassy and is run by a security representative who holds a consular position but is allegedly a North Korean intelligence officer on temporary assignment.

The report, based on interviews with multiple sources, including a former North Korean diplomat, describes the operation as encompassing surveillance, pursuit and arrest, detention and interrogation, and forced repatriation. North Korean cases are reportedly forwarded to Pyongyang within 12-24 hours of their capture. The report also details the case of North Korean hacker Pae Yong-ju, who was detained by Chinese authorities in Inner Mongolia while attempting to flee to South Korea. Following his arrest, Pae was interrogated by Chinese officials.