Search for a command to run...
This paper examines personal security in North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The case of DPRK shows how individual safety, dignity, and freedom are jeopardized in one of the most oppressive and militarized regimes of the world. Informed by scholarship, this case study shows how the oppressive tools of control, namely the system of ideological dominance, the caste-like songbun hierarchy, and the ubiquitous surveillance system, systematically dehumanize the population of North Korea. For the most part, the DPRK regime of control is an instance of structural violence, which uses psychological and emotional means of manipulation to control the population through a mechanism of fear and learned helplessness. The paper outlines four interrelated policy recommendations, including the creation of permanent international accountability mechanisms, recalibrating the sanctions regime to improve humanitarian impact, scaling up survivor-led recovery and trauma-informed psychosocial care, and building a stronger regional cooperation against transnational repression. The research made it clear that the DPRK is not only a challenge to the global governance but a human security problem which is in need of a response by pooling the collective resources and the people-centered approaches. The re-humanization of North Korea remains a key condition for the dignity of the people and the right to live free of fear and want.