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.”