Can North Koreans Travel?

North Korea is one of the most closed countries globally, with very limited access to foreigners and strict control over its citizens’ movements. Well, can North Koreans travel to any other country? The short answer is that it is possible, although with many limitations.

People’s Mobility Rights within North Korea

Inside North Korea, the movement is significantly limited and it is almost impossible to move around without permission. Citizens still require the permission of the government to transfer from his/her home town or village, which is hard to come by. The government needs to keep in check the preferred areas of residential and business establishments.

It is noteworthy that there are more opportunities to travel inside the country for people living in Pyongyang and other large cities. However, any long-distance movements, involve permits which have to be obtained beforehand. The physical facilities are also almost nonexistent, with bad roads and few means of public transportation apart from those in large cities.

Travel for most of the citizens is restricted to the international border.

It is important to note that for the overwhelming majority of North Koreans, international travel is simply out of the question. People can rarely get passports or exit visas that are required to travel out of the country legally. However, only senior officials, necessary personnel, and some workshops or sports groups may be allowed to travel internationally. There is no such thing as tourism for the ordinary folks.

Any act of trying to escape North Korea without permission from the state is considered defection. If one is caught, he or she is liable to be placed in a labor camp or even executed. The fact that the border surrounding the territory is well-guarded makes it difficult for most to risk crossing the border in an attempt to gain an unauthorized exit.

Limited Exceptions

There are a few categories under which North Koreans may be allowed overseas travel: There are a few categories under which North Koreans may be allowed overseas travel:

Government or Military Duties: Certain officials and members of state and military authorities are allowed to make foreign trips for political, economic, or military purposes. They have to go through severe political screening and monitoring while they are in a foreign country.

Work Programs: In the structure of bilateral contracts, North Koreans<|reserved_special_token_270|> some of them get to go to Russia, China, and some African nations to work in construction, logging, medical, and technology sectors. That is instead of paying wages directly to the workers, it is paid to the North Korean government.

Overseas Education: Only a few but talented students and academic professionals can be sponsored to study abroad for the programs that are mostly offered in China and Europe. This is an opportunity to learn which can be useful for North Korea in achieving its economic objectives and disseminating propaganda. Their family members effectively act as ‘bargains’ that must be delivered back home unharmed.

Sports Competitions: North Korea is also involved in some international games such as the Asian Games and Olympics among others. Champion performers are chosen and mostly they fall under close observation. Prizes include national medals along with status boosts which means that winners will tend to come back.

Restricted Oversight Abroad

Those who are allowed to travel have very tight control and movement around is also timed to avoid defectors. The members of the overseas citizens have to remain confined to their places of accommodation as well as their cars. They are constantly under surveillance by government minders, either through cameras or through direct reporting. Any interactions with the outside world must be kept to a bare minimum to avoid contamination by outside ideologies. Mobile phones and personal electronic devices are searched frequently.

Staying in the country without a visa or as per the event will attract severe punishment for the remaining family in North Korea. These measures ensure that almost all travelers from overseas are forced to oblige with orders and return home, where their passport is kept until the next call.

This is the Changing Strategy under Kim Jong Un

A few commentators argue that, in the Kim Jong Un era, North Korea has slightly liberalized its handling of international mobility. It seems that more officials and students are permitted to travel overseas. Measures may be relative to perceived levels of loyalty and risk associated with the travelers, their companions, and those they have left behind.

Kim also visited China soon after coming to power—his initial confirmed foreign incursion as the leader. The number of high-level diplomatic delegations traveling outside their countries also appears to have risen as Kim broadened his diplomatic overtures.

Other overseas study and work options, such as the recent dispatch of medical personnel to Europe during COVID-19 for remuneration, may serve the regime’s economic and nuclear agendas. However, it has not been clear whether non-vaccinated persons will be allowed to travel internationally shortly.

A lot of risks involved in switching can still lead to defections.

Albeit, there are still a few cases where North Koreans will risk their lives and flee to other countries to defect. The most frequent targets are China and South Korea. These include sneaking across the border on foot and hiding in a cargo ship among other strategies.

North Korean forces also conduct operations along the borders to prevent people from attempting to flee the country. While most of those involved get caught and suffer severe consequences, others are lucky not to be apprehended. People who manage to get to outside nations then have to battle through legal systems in order to get asylum or citizenship. Nonetheless, the few thousands are still able to escape from North Korea annually even as the avenues of escape narrow.

For now, North Korea is still one of the most isolated countries in the world. Although there are some privileged people who can travel abroad for the benefit of this regime, normal North Koreans cannot move around so easily. Nonetheless, if Kim Jong Un continues to open up the country to the world, confinement may slowly begin to ease as well. However, the greater change would entail the reduction of government control – something that could not be expected in the short term.

Thus, some restricted and closely monitored international journey is allowed under certain circumstances. However, without strict restrictions and severe punishment, merely being able to travel abroad at one’s leisure is an unattainable goal for ordinary North Korean citizens under present circumstances. Nevertheless, the inability to leave gives most citizens a feeling of separation and insecurity regarding the world outside their narrow confines . That is a question for a different time and place as North Korea determines the direction of its political evolution.

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