On February 1st, Radio Free Asia cited data from NKDB's Social and Economic Integration of North Korean Defectors in South Korea regarding how prevalent it is for escapees that have resettled in South Korea to keep in touch with and send money to their families still living in North Korea.

While the exact number of illegal phone users in North Korea is unknown, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, which interviewed 414 North Koreans in the South, reported that 47 percent of them were in constant contact with their families in the North in 2018. Of those, about 93 percent said they called their families on the phone.

In the same survey, 62 percent said they had sent money to North Korea. Based on their answers, the center estimated that refugees in the South who send money to North Korea do it about twice per year, sending around 2.7 million South Korean won (U.S. $2,190) each time.

You can read the full article on the Radio Free Asia website by clicking HERE.