What now for the North Korean human rights movement with the loss of US support?
Improving North Korean human rights requires sustained societal interest, patience, and support. (Image: iStock/Diy13)
The experience of the North Korean human rights movement resembles that of Sisyphus, the mythological king of Corinth condemned in the underworld to roll a rock endlessly up a hill.
Every time international support arrives, there is hope for progress. But then the funding stops, and organizations, particularly smaller groups, find themselves back at the bottom of the hill.
Following the start of Donald Trump’s second term, it was somewhat predictable that foreign aid would be cut. Sure enough, on February 26, the administration announced a 90 percent reduction in overseas funding by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
One prominent casualty in the United States was the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). It is trying to fight back. But for now, the damage is done. A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democracy worldwide, NED provides annual funds for NGO projects in over 100 countries. It has been a critical pillar for human rights organizations in South Korea since 2005. In 2023, it provided $4.89 million to 25 organizations related to North Korea. Its legal suit notwithstanding, suspension of its funding approvals has gone ahead and led to the termination of financial support for these NGOs.
As cuts were implemented, some rights organizations in South Korea went into crisis.
“On the morning of February 13, I suddenly received a message which said that due to an executive order, funding from NED had been suspended,” said Kim Eun-kyung, a 30-year-old who leads a newly established organization that launched in 2025 with NED funding. “The message expressed deep regret for delivering such bad news but also earnestly requested that we continue our organization’s work.”
“To be honest, I thought it was spam,” she said. “I rubbed my eyes and read it again. Though I had started this organization with a vision for North Korean human rights, I felt my strength completely drain away.”
The day North Korean human rights organizations learned about the funding cutoff coincided with the day that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), launched an attack on NED via X (formerly Twitter). Musk labeled NED as a “malevolent organization” that “must be eradicated immediately.”
As Musk suggested, NED may indeed be evil as far as Kim Jong-un is concerned. However, for organizations engaged in human rights activities, including the rescue of defectors, NED is a force for good.
The sudden removal of funding highlights what some say is an over-reliance on the United States.
“North Korean human rights organizations have been overly dependent on U.S. support.” said Kang Chun-hyuk, a North Korean-born artist and musician who heads an organization called Draw of Dream.
“In South Korea, support for North Korean human rights activities fluctuates with each change of administration. For this reason there is a structural dependency on U.S. funding because American support has been consistent regardless of which party is in power.”
“This situation should serve as an opportunity to redefine the direction of North Korean human rights efforts,” he said. “Rather than approaching it from a political perspective where conservatives support and progressives oppose, we must establish a sustainable framework that ensures the continuity of human rights activities beyond political constraints.”
Lee Eun-hye, a North Korean defector operating a human rights organization, expressed a similar sentiment. “When it came to North Korean human rights, I always felt indebted. I had done nothing for my fellow North Koreans. The only reason I could even begin working in this field was because of institutions like NED that provided the necessary support.”
“For those who have relied on U.S. funding for over a decade, this must be a tremendous shock. However, this funding cutoff might serve as a test for organizations and individuals truly committed to North Korean human rights,” she said.
She noted that some within the ruling People Power Party have suggested establishing a government agency that can provide politically neutral support for North Korean human rights organizations. Na Kyung-won of the ruling People Power Party has called for a “North Korean Human Rights Freedom Alliance.”
For years, Washington has provided approximately $10 million a year for North Korean human rights efforts. This is five times the South Korean government’s annual allocation of around $2 million.
“It’s been almost six years since I resettled in South Korea,” said a North Korean defector studying psychology in South Korea who uses the alias Kim Ji-yeon. “Growing up in North Korea, I was taught that the American ‘Yankees’ were our sworn enemies, but seeing the U.S. care more about North Korean human rights than South Korea changed my perception.”
“This crisis should prompt those engaged in North Korean human rights work to establish an international institution that can support these activities,” she said.
Rather than leading to the collapse of North Korean human rights advocacy, the suspension of U.S. aid could prove to be a turning point, one that, as April showers bring May flowers, fosters resilience and new strategies.
Jia defected from North Korea in search of basic freedoms, including the right to travel and freely express herself. Her identity as a North Korean has given her a sense of responsibility to represent the voices of her family and hometown friends and is also the reason she has chosen to work as a journalist.
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