New version of Pyongyang smartphone resembles the iPhone
North Korea has launched a new smartphone with an iPhone lookalike design. According to internal materials recently obtained by this publication, the Pyongyang 2438 phone...
North Korean soldiers arrested after watching foreign videos
In North Korea, a person coming into contact with content deemed undesirable by the authorities, including books, images, movies, music, and other media, is considered...
Education goals and curriculum in North Korea
In line with other countries, North Korea has defined the 21st century as the era of the knowledge economy. To raise the educational level of...
Why did they shout “Glory to Kim Jong-un” in the face of death?
According to recent reports from the U.S., South Korea, and Ukraine, the number of casualties among North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia is somewhere between...
Lessons from North Korean casualties in Kursk
After its deployment to Russia to the front line fighting Ukrainians, the Korean People’s Army suffered a high attrition rate in the first few weeks...
“Wearing unusual clothing is an act of submission to the enemy”
One of the hard-to-imagine aspects of life for young people in North Korea is the inherent danger in any attempt to follow fashions that are...
Ministry of Social Security investigating people over inflation and Russian war complaints
North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security has instructed agencies nationwide to monitor the movements of citizens for expressions of dissatisfaction over the dispatch of troops...
Ministry of State Security and Defense Security Bureau crackdown leads to rise in remittance fees, up to 50%
The fees paid by people sending money to their families in North Korea have gone up 10 percent in the last month and now stand...
Two North Korean women arrested at Dalian Airport, activists call for urgent response from international community
A mother and daughter who defected from North Korea have been arrested by Chinese authorities Gyeoreol Unification Federation calls for diplomatic action and international intervention...
North Koreans argue as to whether dying for the fatherland is the “duty of the military” amid news of soldiers killed in Ukraine war
North Korean residents justify the sacrifice of soldiers deployed to Russia, saying dying for the fatherland is their duty. In some areas of North Korea's...
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...