Governed by a totalitarian regime under Kim Jong-Un and his predecessors, the country emphasizes a unique ideology blending communism, xenophobia, and extreme personality cults.
The state's control extends deeply into the lives of its citizens, determining everything from employment to residence, and enforces severe punishments including forced labor and execution for those categorized as political criminals.
Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report classifies North Korea as “not free” and as one of nine nations whose lack of political rights and civil liberties are considered the “worst of the worst.”
The NorthKorea in Change
Outflow of People
Since the famine, North Koreans have been risking their lives to escape the country by the thousands. Over 33,000 North Korean refugees have made it all the way to South Korea, with an unknown number still in China.
These refugees play a crucial role as a bridge between the outside world and North Korea:
1. Many maintain contact with family members still in North Korea, sending information back in and increasing the North Korean people’s awareness of the outside world.
2. Refugees also send an estimated 15 million dollars a year back into the country through broker networks. This money represents huge spending power in the North Korean markets. It not only covers basic needs and bribes to secure a family’s well-being but is also used as seed money for business activities.