When it comes to global poverty, it is upon that a focus on education is key for increased sustainability in developing countries. There are many initiatives in place across the globe from UNICEF and the United Nations that aim to promote access to higher education in many low- and middle-income countries. In fact, about $12.2 billion USD of global aid has been dispersed to education initiatives in developing nations in 2022-23. There are many cases for the importance of access to higher education, and it is an important focus for those who fight global poverty. One of the world’s most impoverished nations, The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has some of the harshest educational restrictions. Higher education in North Korea is a spectacle but remains an underrated focus for the fight against extreme poverty.

There are many misconceptions about North Korea, and it can be difficult to remember that The Hermit Kingdom is one of the most mysterious places on Earth. While it is true that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a dictatorship, it is important to remember that North Korean citizens are, in fact, people. Access to an equal education on the basis of merit remains a human right and when those rights are violated, it is the duty of wealthy nations to protect those rights.

Equal Opportunity Education

While North Korean literacy rates are at an astonishing 100%, education is not a right in North Korea. Higher education in North Korea is for only those at the top of the songbun, a caste system. The DPRK divides citizens into 51 social classes, with three primary castes known as Hostile Wavering and Core. Songbun status directly affects everything in North Korea and is based on qualifications such as familial ties to South Korea, physical appearance, disability, and, of course, loyalty to the Kim regime.

One North Korean defector, Ms. Kim Chong-kum, reflects on how her level in the songbun hurt her chance at higher education in North Korea in a 2001 interview. Allegedly, her grandfather fled to South Korea during the War, and she had known from a young age that she would never advance academically, no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to be a teacher and dreamed of attending the revered Kim Il Sung University, though she had given up by the time of her graduation. She went into construction.

Higher Songbun and Higher Education in North Korea

While less than a third of the country has access to higher education in North Korea, there is no promise that someone receive entrance. Privilege to apply does not mean right to acceptance. While only Core families (of which make up about 28% of the population) can apply for colleges in the DPRK, an application alone does not mean that a student will receive an acceptance. Students in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city and reserved only for those of the highest social standing, have all spoken of the high competition and low acceptance rates of colleges, especially Kim Il Sung University.

What Occurs in North Korean Universities?

Many call North Korea The Hermit Kingdom as it has restricted access to the internet, as well as limited and controlled domestic and foreign student interaction, which has led to a significant lack of information about what exactly goes on inside of higher education institutions in North Korea.

Documentarians, who sometimes receive special permissions, often experience heavy censoring and threats when recording footage. BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes learned he would not be able to leave campus unless he deleted footage that authorities deemed disrespectful or offensive. As outsiders, there is more information about what North Korean education lacks than includes, other than extensive history and knowledge of the Kim Regime, worshipping the family as Gods. Mi-ran, a defector who had gone through university and taught at schools, did not know how children were conceived at the age of 26, but had learned that being North Korean is a blessing and that the ruling family are religious figures.

Those who are loyal to the regime, garner exceptional grades and accolades, and have incredible songbun, receive the most privileges during their higher education in North Korea, including leaving the country. A man by the name of Hyunseung Lee went to Kim Il Sung University and served in the military, and he and his family received access to Beijing in 2014. One of the rarest opportunities, the regime fears defection or any external influence, as the citizens with the most access to North Korea’s inner workings are the most dangerous to run away. Hyunseung Lee’s family escaped during their stay in China, and soon later his uncle had been sent to a prison camp while his hostage family begged for him to return on state media. The year 2024 was the next time students had travel opportunities through an exchange program with Russia. 

Many North Koreans Cannot Access Higher Education

Not only does 70% of the DPRK lack the opportunity to apply to some form of higher education, but the patriarchal okwa, members of the Central Worker’s Party, recruit many middle and high school girls in the Core class to serve the Kim family, which includes sexual slavery. Education and poverty are increasingly gender biased in many patriarchal countries, and North Korea is not an exception to the harsh conditions girls and women face, including exclusion from education opportunity.

The Choson Exchange

Singapore-based North Korean rights group Choson Exchange is one of the few NGOs allowed through the borders of the DPRK. Aimed at those who are in schools in North Korea, Chosen Exchange works directly with the North Korean government to aid and uplift those who want to be entrepreneurs, as North Koreans themselves understand how education can promote economic growth. Working in country with webinars and lectures, North Korean students are even selected to leave the country, allowing them an actual look into the outside world. This includes a large number of female students in North Korea, as the organization originated when Yale student Geoffrey See visited Pyongyang during his studies and met a young woman who dreamed of owning a business.

Since 2007, more than 500 North Koreans in country have accessed foreign cultural exchanges and an important dialogue has begun regarding the Hermit Kingdom’s links to the outside world. It has been five years since the program stopped working in North Korea due to the closure of its borders in response to COVID-19. However, it pivoted to online education efforts and will likely resume operations in the country following the lift on COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Looking Ahead

It can be hard to feel hopeful when North Korea does not allow any humanitarian aid, but demands for increased access to education for North Koreans is an important step. Organizations like Choson Exchange are working tirelessly inside of the country to remind the citizens that there is hope, even when it is harder to notice.

– Isaiah Rice

Isaiah is based in Ottawa, ON, Canada and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr