Jon, a key figure in North Korea’s financial network and former director of Office 39 — an agency managing the ruling family’s slush funds — introduced Ryu to Kim. Ryu recalled that Kim’s husband was ...

Two North Korean defectors are breaking into the world of Korean pop, with dreams of performing in the country they left behind In recent years, South Korean K-pop idols have amassed millions of ...

North Korean conscripted soldiers endure brutal conditions, grappling with severe shortages of essentials — from bullets for ...

One defector said soldiers were given just three bullets each during the rare shooting drills. Read more at straitstimes.com.

But Lee Chul Eun is one of them. Lee, 38, a North Korean defector and former soldier now living in South Korea, said it is “devastating” to see troops from the reclusive, communist-ruled North ...

The 2024 total, including 210 women, compared with 196 in 2023, bringing the accumulated number of North Korean defectors in South Korea to 34,314, the official said on condition of anonymity. Of them ...

The number of North Korean defectors who arrived in South Korea reached 236 in 2024, up by 20.4 percent compared to the previous year, according to the Unification Ministry on Tuesday.