Recent reports indicate that the North Korean Workers’ Party continues its harsh discrimination against citizens who hold views different from the regime.<\/p>\n
According to a source in South Pyongan Province, in mid-February, a family was exiled to Maengsan County in an open truck without any cover despite temperatures of -20\u00b0C. The reason for their exile is outrageous – they were accused of distributing South Korean dramas and having ancestors who supposedly collaborated with South Korean forces during the Korean War, labeling them as a “hostile class.”<\/p>\n
Is sharing K-culture, which is respected worldwide, such a severe crime that it warrants being thrown into a cold, mountainous region? And must the regime still cling to outdated notions of family background in the 21st century?<\/p>\n
It seems Kim Jong Un and the Workers’ Party cannot maintain control without such measures. Since liberation, the Kim dynasty has engaged in inhumane practices to preserve power, inventing absurd terms like “political criminals,” “factionalists,” and “side branches” while creating management centers (political prison camps) where they commit atrocities that would make even animals blush.<\/p>\n
The “class principles” in North Korean society weren’t inherited from tradition but were fabricated by the Workers’ Party. Our ancestors never imagined their descendants would be divided into classes and face discrimination.<\/p>\n
There’s a reason why family background matters in North Korean society. In totalitarian systems, the regime evaluates current behavior based on parents’ and grandparents’ backgrounds to determine whether someone is “with us” or “against us.” From childhood, people are made to wear red neckties while being indoctrinated with the idea that “South Korea is the enemy” and that “if you’re not with us, you’re against us.”<\/p>\n
Kim Jong Un and the Workers’ Party leadership cleverly exploit humans’ natural tendency to live in groups and depend on each other, creating a social climate that emphasizes collectivism. Furthermore, they use the logic that “everything is the enemy’s fault” to hide their own failures, skillfully manipulating conflict. Thus, they promote anti-enemy sentiment and readily practice discrimination.<\/p>\n
Recently, the international human rights organization Freedom House released its “2025 World Freedom Index” report. North Korea scored just 3 out of 100, ranking among the lowest of 208 countries. The organization evaluated the human rights situation worldwide based on “political rights” and “civil liberties,” giving North Korea scores of 0 and 3, respectively. North Korea was classified as a “not free country” and also made the list of “worst of the worst” – a designation given to only 17 out of 67 “not free” countries.<\/p>\n
Even a dictator prioritizing power maintenance should feel shame as a human being. People should no longer be divided into “us” and “enemy” and discriminated against within a class framework.<\/p>\n
Currently, Kim Jong Un and the Workers’ Party reject 5,000 years of Korean history and designate South Korea as an enemy to maintain their grip on power.<\/p>\n
North Korean citizens must realize that the state encourages discrimination based on background, family environment, region, and gender in all social interactions from survival and education to labor and organizational life. They must stop being deceived.<\/p>\n