This video is about Mr. Roh, whose high position enabled him to work overseas, where he first experienced outside information that eventually inspired his escape.
Working outside of North Korea is one way that people can gain access to free information. However, due to 2017 UN sanctions that demand repatriation of all North Korean workers, the number of overseas workers from North Korea is decreasing. As the North Korean government takes most of the overseas workers’ wages, the ban is aimed at reducing the income flow of foreign currency that allows the regime to sustain itself. However, preventing North Koreans from working overseas further limits their ability to access free information.
We showed this video at RightsCon, because we believe that having access to the internet is a basic human right. At the same time, most citizens in North Korea don’t have access to the internet and barely know anything about the world outside North Korea. We are working on spreading information about the situation in North Korea to make more people aware of what happens there and and looking forward into a future where South and North Koreans are able to live in peace together so that stories such as Mr. Roh experienced it never happen again.
If you want to support us and our work, please donate or participate in our workshops. For more information about life in North Korea, please download and read our reports.