In the wake of the failed Hanoi summit, a range of indicators have begun to emerge suggesting that North Korean authorities are increasing efforts to bolster domestic state security and information control in a way like never before in the Kim Jong Un era.

Broadly speaking, a review of recent developments suggests that authorities are aiming to tighten control in two principal areas, relating to domestic security and the transfer of information in and out of the country.

As such, it appears that the DPRK’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is playing a key