On January 10th, NKDB's Director of International Cooperation, Hanna Song, was quoted in an article regarding the sharp decline in North Korean defectors entering South Korea. 

"These worryingly low numbers make it not only difficult for organizations like NKDB to collect evidence and document the human rights violations that are occurring in North Korea, but for the wider community to truly understand what is going on in North Korea,” she said. 

“While previously most defectors escaped border areas such as North Hamgyong or Yanggang provinces, where they were usually part of a lower social class or feel less allegiance to the DPRK regime, we will hear more and more stories from those who have been sent overseas by the North Korean government to earn foreign currency,” Song added.

You can read the full article on the NK News by clicking HERE.