On January 1, 2024, BBC News covered the efforts of North Korean escapees working in South Korea to send money to their families remaining in North Korea through hired brokers. In a survey by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), around 63% of North Korean escapees reported sending remittances to North Korea.
However, since 2020, the act has become more perilous due to intensified measures of the North Korean government to stop the influx of "reactionary ideology and culture" from the South. South Korea has also started to crackdown on brokers, along with shifting the power to investigate national security cases from the National Intelligence Service to the general police. Such measures from both countries have a negative impact on North Korean residents as remittances are essential lifelines and indicators of South Korea’s wealth.
A 2023 survey by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights which polled about 400 North Korean defectors, found that around 63% had transferred money to their families in the North.
You can read the full article on the BBC website by clicking HERE.
On January 1, 2024, BBC News covered the efforts of North Korean escapees working in South Korea to send money to their families remaining in North Korea through hired brokers. In a survey by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), around 63% of North Korean escapees reported sending remittances to North Korea.
However, since 2020, the act has become more perilous due to intensified measures of the North Korean government to stop the influx of "reactionary ideology and culture" from the South. South Korea has also started to crackdown on brokers, along with shifting the power to investigate national security cases from the National Intelligence Service to the general police. Such measures from both countries have a negative impact on North Korean residents as remittances are essential lifelines and indicators of South Korea’s wealth.
You can read the full article on the BBC website by clicking HERE.