North Korea is closely monitoring the weakening of North Korean human rights groups in South Korea as a strategic opportunity to adjust its approach toward the South. The Institute of Enemy State Studies, a think tank focused on South Korea policy, is leading this analysis.
According to a Daily NK source recently, the Institute of Enemy State Studies is tracking changes in North Korean human rights groups in South Korea, including budget cuts, staff reductions, and office closures. The institute uses open source intelligence to monitor funding sources, staffing levels, publications, international activities, and government contacts.
The institute believes that organizations focused on documenting and accumulating North Korean human rights records, international solidarity activities, and rescuing and supporting North Korean defectors are showing clear signs of decline.
Strategic assessment of information channels
The Institute of Enemy State Studies is especially focused on the potential decline of activities that send information from South Korea into North Korea. This area, referred to by North Korea as “the foundation of anti-DPRK elimination schemes,” involves radio broadcasts to the North, smuggling external media like USB drives and SD cards, and sharing firsthand accounts through defector and international networks. The institute sees these channels as targeting weaknesses in the North Korean system and is observing the reduced activities and budget cuts of related organizations as a strategic advantage.
The institute sees the decline of North Korean human rights groups in South Korea as more than just an external trend—it’s viewed as a strategic opportunity. Institute officials recognize that documenting and accumulating human rights issues over time could hold them accountable in the international community. From their perspective, the decreased activity of these organizations is beneficial, as it might ease the level of international pressure on human rights issues.
The institute also worries that if such facts become known to the North Korean people, it could create cracks in the “dumbing-down strategy” that authorities have long established – a system that maintains ignorance about the outside world and information isolation. If North Koreans become aware of how their human rights issues are documented and discussed internationally, it could undermine the effectiveness of regime propaganda.
In fact, North Korea has enacted the so-called “three evil laws” since 2020 – the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law, Youth Education Guarantee Law, and Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Law – to strictly control the influx of external information.
“North Korea views the weakening of (South Korean) human rights groups not as a simple external change but as a shield protecting regime security,” one of the sources said. “The moment international human rights confrontation becomes loose, they will more boldly engage in internal propaganda warfare and psychological warfare against South Korea.”
Long-term strategy shift
Within the Institute of Enemy State Studies, this trend of weakening North Korean human rights NGO activities is seen as likely to be long-term rather than a simple temporary phenomenon. This is due to the complex effects of reduced overseas aid, South Korea’s domestic political environment, and declining international attention.
Based on this analysis, the institute has begun reorganizing its South Korea strategy. Each department is scheduled to complete plans by the end of October for submission as agenda items for the Ninth Party Congress planned for early next year, the source reported.
According to the source, North Korea’s leadership views the decline of private human rights groups in South Korea as a chance to reduce international human rights tensions and strengthen its position in internal system competition. However, officials remain cautious, closely monitoring the actions of the South Korean government, some overseas organizations, and potential responses from the international community as key factors.
The source mentioned that this year, the focus has shifted towards diplomacy with Russia and China and managing relations with friendly nations, while efforts through private exchanges with South Korea or humanitarian channels have taken a back seat. However, if the decline of human rights groups in South Korea continues in the long term, North Korea is likely to take advantage of this for extensive psychological and propaganda campaigns.
Meanwhile, Kim Yo Jong, deputy department director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers’ Party of the Korea, is overseeing this analysis and South Korea strategy reorganization, the source reported. Major strategies will be delivered to leader Kim Jong Un after joint coordination with relevant departments. This suggests it is a major issue directly handled by the top leadership.
