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Young Professionals Writing Program (YPWP)

Using Proactive Information Campaigns to Break the North Korean Regime’s Information Suppression

10/28/2020

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By Junsoung “Steve” Kim, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern

October 28, 2020

​
Freedom of information is a universal right. However, to maintain absolutism and the ruling class' vested rights, the Kim family—North Korea's reigning regime—has attempted to completely prevent the acquisition of outside information by its citizens. Kim Jong-un's desire to retain autocracy has made North Korea the most reclusive country in the world. However, the rapid growth of information technology has weakened the North Korean regime’s control mechanisms over the communications infrastructure.[1] According to Martyn Williams, author of Digital Trenches: North Korea’s Information Counter-Offensive, the regime uses information and communication technology to maintain social and political control. Pyongyang applied information technologies to build a "mosquito net" surveillance system, which blocks outside information from flowing in. For example, North Korea only allows digital communication through the state-run intranet and internet (for a select few elites), media platforms, and software operating systems.[2] Therefore, the North Korean regime uses information technology to maintain an Orwellian society that strictly monitors its own people.[3]

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The Arduous Lives of North Korean Fishermen

10/21/2020

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By Timothy Goo, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern

October 21, 2020


As demonstrated by Kim Jong-un’s frequent visits to fishing towns and examinations of fish repositories, the regime highly values its fishing industry.[1] This industry plays an essential role in attracting foreign currency and funding the state’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.[2] Data from 2017 indicates that mollusks were the third largest export for North Korea.[3] With the passing of resolution 2371 in August 2017, the United Nations (UN) Security Council instituted a series of stricter sanctions that included targeting the North Korean fishing industry. Resolutions 2371, 2375, and 2397 prohibited the procurement of seafood from North Korea, joint ventures between North Korea and other countries without UN approval, and North Korea from selling or transferring fishing rights.[4]

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Eroding the Regime’s Information Monopoly: Cell Phones in North Korea

10/6/2020

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By Kathryn Wernke, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern
 
October 6, 2020

The North Korean regime and its control over its population rely heavily on the propagandized version of both the state and the world that it feeds to its people. However, as outside information flows into the country, a shift in the internal climate is providing a unique opportunity for social change. While generally seen as closed off and heavily controlled, North Korea has seen an increasingly available influx of information about the rest of the world.[1] Lately, illegal Chinese cell phones and other technologies smuggled across the border and spread throughout the nation via informal, grey markets have driven this trend. Likewise, the number of officially registered cellular devices in the country has drastically increased. Currently, North Korean mobile networks cover areas with approximately 94% of its population, thus connecting North Koreans in an unprecedented way.[2] Isolation and fear have been key components in the regime’s survival, but, as external media becomes more widely available, the Kim family faces a looming threat of an evolving society.[3]

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Three Things the U.S. Government Can Do Now to Ruin Kim Jong-un Financially

10/1/2020

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By Jeune Kim, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern

October 1, 2020

On the third anniversary of Otto Warmbier’s passing, HRNK hosted a conversation with Warmbier’s mother, Cindy Warmbier. Mrs. Warmbier and her husband, Fred, have been actively chasing North Korean financial assets and raising awareness about the Kim regime’s human rights abuses. During the conversation, Mrs. Warmbier emphasized the need to sustain pressure on North Korea and expressed her frustration with the U.S. government’s inability to properly respond to Pyongyang’s transgressions and illegal activities. 

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    Dedication

    ​HRNK staff members and interns wish to dedicate this program to our colleagues Katty Chi and Miran Song.

    A native of Chile and graduate of the London School of Economics, Katty became a North Korean human rights defender in her early 20s. Katty was chief of international affairs with the North Korea Strategy Center (NKSC) in Seoul from 2010 to 2014 and worked with the Seoul Office of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) from 2019 to 2020. A remarkable member of our small North Korean human rights community, Katty brought inspiration and good humor to all. Katty passed away in Seoul in May 2020, at the young age of 32. She is survived by her parents and brother living in Chile.

    A graduate of Kyung Hee University and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Miran was a research intern at HRNK from 2012 to 2013. After graduating from Fletcher, Miran fulfilled her long-cherished dream to work in the field with international NGOs and South Korean government agencies, dedicating herself to sustainable development projects in Uganda and Ethiopia. A staunch human rights defender and passionate humanitarian, she lived her short, difficult, and meaningful life feeling blessed by the opportunity to help others. She passed away in 2022, at the young age of 31.

    With the YPWP series, we endeavor to honor Katty and Miran’s life and work.

    Greg Scarlatoiu

    If you have any questions or would like to write for us, contact us at outreach@hrnk.org.

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    김일성 초상휘장
    생활총화
    청년동맹위원장과 청소년지도원
    2010 World Cup Team
    AllSource Analysis
    Arduous March
    Bitcoin
    Bithumb
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    China
    Coincheck
    Concentration-camps
    Crimes-against-humanity
    Cryptocurrency
    Crypto Industry
    Cyberattack
    Cybercrime
    Cyber Crime
    David Hawk
    Donald Trump
    DPRK
    DPRK Sanctions
    DPRK Sports
    FATF
    Federal Reserve Bank
    FEMA Conspiracy Theory
    FIFA
    FinCen
    Forced Abortion
    Forced Marriage
    Gender Discrimination
    Gender Repression
    Global Programme On Cybercrime
    Google Earth
    Greg Scarlatoiu
    Gulags
    Hidden Gulag
    HRNK
    Human Rights
    Human Trafficking
    Illicit
    Infanticide
    Informal Markets
    International Community
    Jangmadang
    Jangmadang Generation
    Kim Il-sung
    Kim Il-sung Badge
    Kim Il-sung Cho-sang-hui-jang
    Kim Jong-suk
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    Kim Regime
    Kwan Li So
    Kwan-li-so
    Kyo Hwa So
    Kyo-hwa-so
    Laogai
    May Day Stadium
    Monero
    NK Athletes
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    North Korean Athletes
    North Korean Economy
    North Korean Hackers
    North Korean Markets
    Olympic Games
    Payment Services Act
    Political Prisoners
    Prison Camps
    Prisoner Testimony
    PyeongChang Olympics
    Red Youth Guard
    Refugees
    Saeng-hwal-chong-hwa
    Satellite Imagery
    School
    Self-criticism
    Sexual Exploitation
    Sexual Violence
    Singapore Summit
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    The Game Of Their Lives
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    Treasury
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