I want to donate to a charity that helps defectors and I've looked at a few, but I'm primarily concerned about the fact that I have no idea who runs these charities... yes I can see proof of escapees living in South Korea or elsewhere but with the links that NK has with china, and the power china has- I am seriously conflicted Advice/experience with this kind of charity would be appreciated!!

I think that LiNK used to lobby the US government, but I don't know if they do now. I think that making policy makers more aware of the nuances of the North Korean human rights crisis, especially with constant nuclearization and now the Russo-Ukranian war, in a more upfront way would go a long way to help innocent people. If there isn't an org doing this, I'm going to make one.

Is the Disneyland incident overegged? Or did it legitimately ruin his chances of ruling NK? And, given what little we know about KJN, how do you think a North Korea ruled by Jong-Nam would have looked? Would Jong-Nam have been the "great reformer" or would power have corrupted him?

All I remember about the plot was that it centred around two sisters who got separated to South Korea and North Korea. The one from SK became a prostitute while the NK sister lived and flourished. I can’t seem to find it.

Before you comment, please read my whole post. Also, full disclosure: I am NOT a tankie. I recognize that NK is a totalitarian state with minimal freedoms. That being said, there are some things that don’t make sense to me.

1. The defectors.

While most defectors do seem to choose to stay in South Korea, I have heard that there are multiple instances of defectors returning back to North Korea or attempting to do so.

I am aware that defectors have a hard time getting integrated into South Korean society due to dialectical, cultural and educational differences and, as a result, struggle to find good jobs, but, if the Western media is to be believed, they face execution or decades of hard forced labor until they die. Who in the right mind would pick death or being worked to death over potentially having to work a low paying job in a developed country with access to healthcare that is light years ahead of what’s available in North Korea??

The only explanation that I can think of besides “the western media is embellishing details” is that Kim Jong Un has some sort of amnesty clause specifically for defectors that return to North Korea.

2. Strong Academics, namely STEM

Unfortunately, because of how reclusive and insulated the country is, data on metrics such as HDI is hard to come by but, if I recall correctly, North Korea’s GDP per capita is estimated to $1,300. This is extremely poor and it’s below all the South Asian countries as well as much as most of Africa.

Though, to be fair, GDP PPP per capita might be a better metric for development but I don’t know what it is for North Korea.

Yet, in spite of all the purported poverty, North Korea has a staggering TWENTY-TWO gold medals at the International Math Olympiad, even more than India’s 20(India does have more overall medals though).

I have heard that North Korea was caught cheating once but I doubt all 22 gold medals were from cheating.

And it’s not just developing countries that North Korea surpasses: It also has more gold medals than Saudi Arabia(0), Austria(13), Netherlands(11), Czechoslovakia(10), etc.

Oh and not to mention their whole ICBM program. I’m not a rocket scientist but I do know that most developing countries that are as poor as North Korea is claimed to be would not be able to succeed in this.

What do we know about art and cultural expressions in DPRK? And not necessarily related to politics or any type of political propaganda. Are there independent artists producing music, paintings, literature or cinema for the North Koreans? Can I have access to some of these contents?

Edit: typo

Thats it.

Hey everyone, I'm here cause I'm an artist and I want to meet people from NK to interview, I will to create a comic with a NK character and I need info to make it well! Thanks to everyone! 😄

I have no idea if this is where I could look for this. But my old English Professor Dale Salwak from Citrus University told a story of how he was invited to North Korea three separate times to perform magic at the Spring Festival. The only thing I've been able to find in the years is a few articles and his wikipedia page. I would love to have a photo or a video of him from there, mainly so I can get my girlfriend to stop saying I'm making shit up lol.

I have autism, but it doesn't severely effect me. Would I be allowed go enter the DPRK as a person with a disability? I'm not too sure how they treat mentally disabled people. I do want to travel there as it seems like a very interesting place to stay in.

Thanks!

I am interested to have my holydays in North Korea. Are there some interesting places ti visit? (Sorry for my english but i am Italian)