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....
HRF announces new grants for North Korean human rights
NEW YORK (Oct. 3, 2024) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce a new set of grants to help strengthen the work of...
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. ...
North Korea does it “our way”
Every country has its own traditions, history, and way of doing things. In North Korea, they call this “our way.” The emotions people feel about...
Defectors accuse South Korean politician opposing unification of being a spy
Like a surgeon who recommends a heart transplant, when a politician says South Korea should change its core national objective, people need to trust him...
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...
Four years later “The Mole” is still raising questions
When it came out, the 2020 documentary miniseries “The Mole: Undercover in North Korea” was a revelation, the clearest ever view through the window into...