When North Koreans visit other countries for the Olympics, what stops some of them fleeing away into that host country?

You see, north korea is like any poor country/dictatorship, not everybody is equal. Concretely you have 3 social status

You are living in the capital. Starvation? Well you have this shop reserved to the elite that is always well filled, but it’s true that last week they have no nutella. Infrastructure problem? Nah, your district has a bunch of technician working 24/24 for you. Dictatorship? Well it’s true there are stuff you shouldn’t do, but if you do daddy will just go plead with the ruler. It’s not like the kim would send an entire family of high qualification worker in a camps.

The “hostile population”. Typically the old’s world elite, the one considered dangerous, the merchants, the workcamps population.

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Now, imagine your life at the upper subdivison, the top of the social ladders. The one that produce regime’s journalist, diplomat, authority and generals.

The organization mean you’re not only on the top. EVERYONE in your family is on the top, and your friend too. If you born into one of these family, then your brother will become an high civil servant, your sis will become a journalist on the first channel, and your childhood friend will become in charge of foreign trade with australia.

Do that seem interesting to you?

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….Oh, and also infrastructure work 99% of the time ! But when they don’t and you call them the put you on waiting during 2H.

…Or not. Your diploma isn’t recognized. And you don’t have relationship. So i hope you like being a construction worker.

Well you got it. North korean that go to see olympic aren’t your average peasant. They are well placed people. Why would they flee north korea and lose everything?

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…Well not everybody.

Now imagine you decide to use the olympic to flee and go in south korea. Now you’re free !

Ah…north korea. The misery, the starvation, the oppressive regime ready to kill you for a fart. A living hell everybody would like to leave.

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…Oh, and law is more permissive now, but you have to actually follow it sooo…

The “friend of revolution”. Which count the farmers, the descendant of korean war fighters, the elite,….

These subdivision in north korea are all. They are kind of nobless status. You inherit them for the most part, some manage to climb up, some manage to fuck up. In both case it impact your whole family.

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Now not everybody under these social status are the same. There are a lot of subdivision, an hundred. Being a farmer in the countryside and being a diplomate at the capital isn’t the same.

The neutral.