North Hamgyong parents receive death notices of sons killed in the military… From 8th Corps and 91st Defense Command
Parents in North Korea's North Hamgyong Province are being notified of the deaths of their sons in the military, according to reports. A report in...
Captured soldiers are considered traitors by North Korea
In North Korea today, the youngsters of what is known as the MZ generation hold values that differ from those of older generations. The main...
“Singing while eating at a restaurant is an expression of puppet culture”
A recent government video from North Korea gives an idea of how something that would be seen as enjoyable and harmless in any other country...
Exclusive: Documents and personal items found on the body of a North Korean soldier in Kursk Oblast region (1)
HRF’s Korea Desk has been in regular communication with members of the Ukrainian special forces operating in the Kursk Oblast region since December 20. We...
Exclusive: Documents found on the body of a North Korean soldier in Kursk Oblast region (2)
HRF’s Korea Desk has been in regular communication with members of the Ukrainian special forces operating in the Kursk Oblast region since December 20. We...
Civil defense youth submit petitions for deployment to Russia
The news that soldiers are being deployed to Russia has spread across North Korea, prompting a wave of petitions from military-age people in the civil...
Defectors step up to support soldiers deployed to Russia to escape
While news reports confirming that North Korea has dispatched special forces to fight for the Russians in their war against Ukraine have raised international concern,...
Why fight for Russia? Deaths of North Korean officers in Ukraine raises questions about morale
The deaths of six North Korean military officers in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine, in a Ukrainian missile strike that wounded 20 other soldiers, highlighted...
Defectors and activists urge Canada to do more for North Korean asylum-seekers
Defectors from North Korea and activists who help them settle in South Korea and other countries have asked the Canadian government to more actively support...
Copyright in North Korea
For North Koreans, copyright is an unfamiliar concept. That said, if you were to ask whether copyright exists there, my answer would be yes. It’s...
Role reversal: why most criminals in North Korea are now women
A recent video used in public lectures and compulsory study sessions provides a glimpse into the types of crimes prevalent these days in North Korea....
The dictator’s women
One day in July 2012, North Korea’s state media made a grand announcement. The First Lady, Ri Sol-ju, wife of the new leader Kim Jong-un,...
Obstacles to divorce force couples to live double lives
An increasing number of couples in North Korea live separately without divorcing and, at the same time, younger couples are increasingly living together without marrying. ...
Crackdown on smoking doesn’t stop Kim Jong-un from lighting up
North Korea has launched an educational campaign telling people to get with the times and stop smoking, but the chain-smoking leader Kim Jong-un doesn’t appear...
Busting of a smuggling ring in Guangxi Province blocks commonly used North Korean escape routes
Police have busted an extensive smuggling ring in China’s southernmost port, near the border with Vietnam, which has made it more difficult for escaping North...
Neighborhood watch units now expected to do police work
Police in North Korea are handing responsibility for local crime to neighborhood watch units. Untrained residents are even being held accountable for crimes in their...
Women forced into military service face increasing sexual abuse
After graduating from middle school in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province in 2019, Kwon (not her real name) enlisted in the Korean People's Army, determined to...
The logging company that functions like a labor camp
When Choi, 57, failed to turn up for work at the Pihyon Logging Company at the end of May, the work unit sent someone over...