"North Korea: Forced Labor After Divorce... Submitting Divorce Papers Means Longer Imprisonment"

Radio Free Asia Reports Citing North Korean Sources
Forced Labor Increases as Divorces Surge After COVID-19
Imprisonment Rises Even Without Fault When Divorce Papers Are Submitted

It has been claimed that couples who receive divorce rulings from North Korea's People's Court are immediately transferred to labor training camps for forced labor. On the 16th, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing multiple sources in North Korea, that “since 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns worsened people's livelihoods and divorces surged, North Korean authorities have taken the unusual step of incarcerating divorced couples in labor training camps, stating it is to 'respond to the breakdown of the family, a social cell.'”

This is a rural village scene in North Korea and is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

A source from Yanggang Province told RFA, “Until last year, only the person who filed for divorce was sent to the labor training camp, but from this month, both divorced spouses are sent to the labor training camp,” adding, “Ordinary people who divorce must undergo forced labor in the labor training camp for 1 to 6 months.” The source said, “My younger brother also divorced after three years of marriage,” and explained, “His wife first submitted the divorce application documents to the court and received the divorce ruling; the wife was punished with 6 months in the labor training camp, while my brother was punished for 1 month.” In other words, the person who filed for divorce receives a longer punishment period.

It is reported that this applies even when the grounds for divorce, such as domestic violence, are the fault of the other party. A source from South Pyongan Province, who was released after serving three months in the Unsan County labor training camp for the 'crime of divorce,' said, “About 30 men and women were incarcerated due to divorce rulings, but the women’s incarceration periods were longer,” adding, “Many cases involve husbands beating their wives, leading the wives to file for divorce first, so divorced women have longer incarceration periods than divorced men.” He predicted, “If the authorities continue to control divorce by incarcerating people in labor training camps without solving livelihood issues, more young people will give up on marriage altogether, worsening the low birthrate problem,” and warned, “This will become a bigger social issue.”

According to the Ministry of Unification’s ‘Report on the Economic and Social Conditions of North Korea’ released in February, although divorces are increasing due to changes in social perceptions in North Korea, it is not only legally difficult to get a divorce but also social stigma against divorced individuals is active. The report analyzed, “North Korea regards divorce as an anti-socialist act that contradicts socialist morality and as a social ill unique to capitalist countries,” and stated, “Such excessive control forces formal marital status, excessively restricting individuals’ right to pursue happiness.”