Tag
North Korea defectors
![North Korean Soldier Makes Dramatic Defection Across the DMZ North Korean Soldier Makes Dramatic Defection Across the DMZ](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-09-26_13-19-29.jpg)
North Korean Soldier Makes Dramatic Defection Across the DMZ
By Hyunmin Michael Kang
South Korea’s loudspeaker broadcasting system, pumping K-Pop northward, may have played a role in the man’s defection.
![Former North Korea Diplomat Begins New Life as Regime Critic Former North Korea Diplomat Begins New Life as Regime Critic](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-12-23_14-58-22.jpg)
Former North Korea Diplomat Begins New Life as Regime Critic
By John Power
Thae Yong-ho, once one of North Korea's highest-ranking diplomats, pledges to devote his life to reunification.
![UN Again Takes Up North Korea's Human Rights Abuses UN Again Takes Up North Korea's Human Rights Abuses](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2015-10-08_16-21-16.jpg)
UN Again Takes Up North Korea's Human Rights Abuses
By Cholpon Orozobekova
North Korea's human rights situation is highlighted at the UN Security Council and in a recent UN report.
![More High-Level North Korean Defectors Jump Ship: Media More High-Level North Korean Defectors Jump Ship: Media](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-08-18_13-47-30.jpg)
More High-Level North Korean Defectors Jump Ship: Media
By Mina Pollmann
Reports say diplomats and even a teenage math genius are seeking to leave North Korea.
![More Women Face North Korean Prison Camp: Report More Women Face North Korean Prison Camp: Report](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-09-02_13-25-00.jpg)
More Women Face North Korean Prison Camp: Report
By John Power
North Korea expanded one of its notorious prison camps to make room for women, a US NGO reports.
![Number of Elite North Korean Defectors on the Rise Number of Elite North Korean Defectors on the Rise](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2015-07-27_21-36-21.jpg)
Number of Elite North Korean Defectors on the Rise
By Kim Tae-woo
What changing patterns of defections tell us about life under the Kim Jong-un regime.
![North Korean Diplomat’s Defection Raises Questions About Regime’s Control North Korean Diplomat’s Defection Raises Questions About Regime’s Control](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-08-18_13-47-30.jpg)
North Korean Diplomat’s Defection Raises Questions About Regime’s Control
By John Power
Thae Yong-ho, Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador to the U.K. said he is "sick and tired" of the Kim regime.
![North Korea's Faceless Defectors North Korea's Faceless Defectors](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2015-08-21_09-36-58.jpg)
North Korea's Faceless Defectors
By Jinny Ha-kyung Kim
Many of those who escape from North Korea hide their identities to protect family back home.
![North Korean Defectors and Propaganda Theater North Korean Defectors and Propaganda Theater](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2015-02-20_14-06-26.jpg)
North Korean Defectors and Propaganda Theater
By John Power
The North and South Korean governments race to spin a rare mass defection to their own advantage.
![13 North Koreans Defect from Overseas Restaurant 13 North Koreans Defect from Overseas Restaurant](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2016-04-12_20-18-05.jpg)
13 North Koreans Defect from Overseas Restaurant
By Catherine Putz
A rare mass defection may hint at an uptick in defection.
![Why Are North Korean Defectors Being Turned Away in Europe? Why Are North Korean Defectors Being Turned Away in Europe?](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2015-06-17_14-21-57.jpg)
Why Are North Korean Defectors Being Turned Away in Europe?
By John Power
North Koreans' asylum claims are often denied, as European countries define them as South Korean citizens.
![North Korea: The True Test for China’s Leaders North Korea: The True Test for China’s Leaders](https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/sizes/thumbnail/thediplomat_2014-10-15_01-42-32.jpg)
North Korea: The True Test for China’s Leaders
By Xie Tao
If Xi Jinping is truly to start a new era of Chinese foreign policy, he has to normalize China-North Korea relations.