From 2008 to 2013, there was an average of about 2,400-2,900 refugees annually leaving the country in search for a better life in the south. In 2014, there were only about 1,396 defects recorded. This is a large decrease in the number of defects. Studies have shown numerous reasons as to why there was a sudden decrease in 2014. First off, economically, North Korea is nowhere close to being as poor as it used to be. Even though malnutrition is still a problem, starvation isn't as common even to the poorest people. Secondly, Kim Jong-Un sees defection as a very bad thing. He sees as it as an opportunity for private information to flow out of the borders. As a result, he has created a strict policy which has created more fences, employed more guards, and made sure that the guards are continuously rotating. Finally, Kim is using propaganda techniques to persuade his people that they should not want to leave "socialist paradise" for "capitalist hell" down south. Also, labor migration is pushing people to work harder to make the teams that will travel to China and so fourth, instead of just running for China on their own. These policies and techniques have been very effective as we notice the significant drop in defectors.
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May 2015
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