CIA seeks informants in North Korea, Iran and China

The Central Intelligence Agency, commonly known as the CIA, has recently initiated a significant campaign to recruit informants in three countries: China, Iran, and North Korea. This effort is part of a broader strategy to gather intelligence from nations that are often considered challenging due to their strict governmental controls and surveillance measures. On Wednesday, the CIA utilized various social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, to post messages in Mandarin, Farsi, and Korean. These messages provided instructions on how individuals could securely contact the agency. The CIA's spokesperson emphasized the importance of this initiative, stating, 'We want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business. ' This indicates the agency's desire to connect with people living under oppressive governments who may have valuable information to share. The recruitment messages requested potential informants to provide their names, locations, and contact details. Furthermore, the CIA advised users to reach out through its official website using trusted encrypted Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or the Tor network, which allows for anonymous browsing. This is particularly crucial in countries like North Korea, where the government closely monitors internet usage. Mason Richey, an associate professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, commented on the CIA's approach, noting that he had not seen such a recruitment effort utilizing social media in Korean before. He suggested that the CIA's strategy might be influenced by its previous success in recruiting informants in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. However, he raised concerns about the effectiveness of this campaign in North Korea, where internet access is limited for the general population. Richey speculated that the CIA might be targeting North Korean traders who occasionally cross the border into China and may have access to VPNs. The CIA considers North Korea, Iran, and China to be 'hard targets' for intelligence gathering due to the extensive surveillance employed by these governments to suppress dissent. The agency's statement further elaborated, 'This effort represents just one way in which CIA is adapting to a new global environment of increased state repression and global surveillance. ' This highlights the CIA's recognition of the changing landscape of international relations and the need to adjust its methods accordingly. Despite the ambitious nature of this campaign, Richey expressed skepticism about the potential intelligence that could be gathered. He remarked, 'I suppose you have to assume the CIA knows what it's doing, but you do wonder how many of these discontented people are close enough to power and close enough to the places where important decisions are made. ' This raises questions about the quality and relevance of the information that might be obtained through this recruitment effort. The CIA has produced videos that provide detailed instructions on how to contact the agency, including guidance in Korean. American intelligence officials, buoyed by their experiences in Russia, remain optimistic about reaching dissatisfied citizens willing to share valuable information. David Cohen, the CIA's Deputy Director, stated, 'There are plenty of people who have access to information and who are disaffected from the Xi regime in China. ' This suggests that the CIA believes there are individuals within China who are unhappy with their government and may be inclined to assist the agency. However, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, countered these claims, asserting that the US is conducting an organized disinformation campaign against China. He stated, 'Any attempts to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the CCP will inevitably fail. ' This indicates that the Chinese government is aware of the CIA's efforts and is prepared to counteract them. Richey further noted that the scale of this campaign across multiple countries reflects the US's perception of its national security challenges. He stated, 'The US is now convinced that it's in not just a series of bilateral confrontations with China and Russia and Iran and North Korea - but rather, it's in a confrontation with an emerging bloc. ' This perspective suggests that the US views these nations as forming a united front against its interests, reminiscent of the geopolitical tensions experienced during the Cold War.