On September 1, NK News reported that North Korea's state insurance monopoly, the Korea National Insurance Corporation (KNIC), began offering a travel insurance policy covering physical injuries for citizens traveling overseas, coinciding with a surge in North Korean travel to Russia and growing trade with China. The article quoted Hanna Song, Executive Director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), who said the launch "may reflect an attempt to adapt the state welfare system through insurance and risk-sharing mechanisms," describing it as a step away from "the utopia it always boasts." Song added that the policy's terms matter more than the announcement itself, "particularly whether workplace injuries are covered, who pays the premiums, and who receives the compensation," noting it could offer insight into how the regime formally recognizes and manages its overseas labor force.
To read the full article, please click HERE.
On September 1, NK News reported that North Korea's state insurance monopoly, the Korea National Insurance Corporation (KNIC), began offering a travel insurance policy covering physical injuries for citizens traveling overseas, coinciding with a surge in North Korean travel to Russia and growing trade with China. The article quoted Hanna Song, Executive Director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), who said the launch "may reflect an attempt to adapt the state welfare system through insurance and risk-sharing mechanisms," describing it as a step away from "the utopia it always boasts." Song added that the policy's terms matter more than the announcement itself, "particularly whether workplace injuries are covered, who pays the premiums, and who receives the compensation," noting it could offer insight into how the regime formally recognizes and manages its overseas labor force.
To read the full article, please click HERE.