Seoul: In the ten years for the reason that Kim Jong Un got here to power, North Korea has cracked down on humans looking to get out of the country, leaving many defectors with out desire of seeing their households and fatherland again. Even earlier than the coronavirus pandemic slowed the range of defectors to a trickle, Kim oversaw improved controls and pressed China to tighten measures on its facet of the border as well.
Only North Korean defectors entered South Korea from April to June this 12 months, the fewest ever in a unmarried quarter, in step with the South Korea’s unification ministry, which handles family members with the North. Activists say numerous hundred would possibly arrive in a standard quarter.
“He has unconditionally blocked all North Koreans defecting from the country,” stated Ha Jin-woo, who labored as a “broker” in North Korea to assist defectors leave, earlier than fleeing himself in 2013.
Among folks that sought a brand new lifestyles in South Korea after Kim have become chief in 2011 upon the loss of life of his father, Kim Jong Il, a few say the brand new chief did little to enhance their lives.
“People say residing is just too tough nowadays due to the fact the authorities is taking increasingly matters from humans, and there are greater humans demise from hunger,” Ha stated.
But Kim has delivered a few changes.
According to a file issued with the aid of using the unification ministry on Thursday, Kim has allowed the personal area to overhaul state-led dealers to come to be North Korea’s largest financial actor over the last decade.
An preliminary upward push in gross home product and stepped forward livelihoods had been undercut with the aid of using global sanctions imposed over Kim’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, the ministry stated, whilst a UN rights investigator says self-imposed anti-pandemic border controls chance inflicting hunger amongst susceptible North Koreans.
Changes in fashion – together with Kim displaying obvious emotion final 12 months at some stage in a speech approximately humans’s hardships – have now no longer translated into systemic reforms, and Kim has overseen crackdowns in different areas, together with on overseas media.
“(Under Kim Jong Un) I felt greater field at college,” stated Park, a 23-12 months-antique defector who left North Korea in 2014 and requested to be recognized simplest with the aid of using his final name.
“For example, the college cracked down greater on college uniforms and hair. They greater strictly prohibited South Korean films or music.”
‘Real Fears’
At least seven humans had been positioned to loss of life below Kim for looking or dispensing K-pop videos, in step with a file with the aid of using a Seoul-primarily based totally human rights institution on Wednesday.
North Korea has now no longer launched the textual content of its new “anti-reactionary notion law” however in step with the Daily NK, a Seoul-primarily based totally internet site that reviews from reassets withinside the North, it consists of lengthy jail sentences or maybe loss of life for humans stuck uploading or dispensing overseas content, relying on how severe.
State media have stated that North Korea would “crumble” if such overseas affect is authorized to proliferate.
“There are actual fears that those strict measures will a long way out survive the pandemic,” stated Sokeel Park, of Liberty in North Korea, which helps defectors.
US-primarily based totally Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated its interviews with North Koreans who left after 2014, or nevertheless have contacts there, endorse that whilst Kim spread out the economy, unlawful border crossings have become nearly impossible, corrupt practices had been normalized, and authorities needs for unpaid labour rose.
“Just like the ones of his father and grandfather, Kim Jong Un’s rule is primarily based totally on brutality, fear, and repression, instigating systematic rights violations, financial hardship, and viable famine,” HRW senior Korea researcher Lina Yoon stated in a statement.
North Korea does now no longer solution questions from overseas journalists however has denied accusations from rights investigators, the United Nations and others who’ve criticised each the humanitarian state of affairs and rights abuses.
Kim’s empathetic fashion of displaying emotion strongly resonates with North Koreans who’ve been taught to revere their leaders as gods, stated Han Ji-yeon, 30, a defector who arrived in South Korea in 2015 and now runs a YouTube channel.
“(But) if the end result is usually the same, I surprise if North Koreans may not agree with it at a few point…even the ones tears will now no longer be effective,” she stated.