North Koreans Could Be Sent to Labor Camps for Divorcing

Couples who have decided to divorce in North Korea will be sent to labor camps for up to six months as punishment, according to independent news service Radio Free Asia (RFA). Per RFA reporting, divorce signifies “anti-socialist sympathies” and so the act of divorce is now punishable for both partners, with women potentially receiving longer sentences than men. This new decision came after the divorce rate in North Korea increased after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Previously only the spouse who initiated the divorce was punished. Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in the U.K. for comment via email. A couple getting married in North Korea photographed in 2012. A report by Radio Free Asia revealed that North Korean couples who divorce are to be sent to labor camps as punishment. A couple getting married in North Korea photographed in 2012. A report by Radio Free Asia revealed that North Korean couples who divorce are to be sent to labor camps as punishment. Kim Kwang Hyon/Associated Press Why It Matters Sending divorced couples to labor camps is significant because not many countries still have labor camps in force, and the specifics of how the divorced prisoners are being punished at the camps is unknown. Furthermore, the increased punishments on those who pursue divorce may also discourage marriage, and in turn could lead to a decrease in North Korea’s birth rate, which has already declined to 1.78 children per woman. What To Know As divorce rates rose due to economic troubles after the COVID-19 pandemic began, they also rose as couples fled to South Korea. A February report by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said that in a survey of 2,432 people, 28.7 percent of the women and 15.2 percent of the men were divorced. Although North Korean divorce rate data is not available, the last nationwide census conducted in 2008 said that only three percent of the population were classified as separated, according to the RFA. Before the institution of this new rule, only the spouse who filed for divorce received punishment and was sent to a labor camp. However, now both spouses will be sent away. Women are reportedly receiving longer sentences than men. A divorced woman who has just finished three months in labor camp in South Pyongan province told RFA of her experience. “There are about 80 women, and 40 men imprisoned in the county labor training camp,” she said. “About 30 men and women were imprisoned due to divorce decrees, and the women’s sentences were longer.” Divorce was also previously banned in North Korea and termed as “abnormal behavior,” and divorced couples were described as a “social problem,” according to the Economic Times. North Korea has not only implemented this new punishment, but last year also initiated an education campaign targeting women, encouraging them not to pursue divorce. As part of the effort to decrease the divorce rate, lectures were reportedly given to members of the Socialist Women’s Union of Korea, encouraging them to “build a harmonious family” by “eradicating divorce.” Pyongyang has also used other methods to sway the population against divorce, including publicly shaming the parents of couples who became divorced as well as officials at companies with high divorce rates amongst employees. Divorces in North Korea require the consent of both spouses and the government in order to be processed. What People Are Saying Steve Herman, the Chief National Correspondent for the Voice of America, wrote in a post on X: “RFA [Radio Free Asia] – North Koreans say that from this month all divorced couples are being sent to labor training camps.” A local resident of the northern province of Ryanggang, who requested anonymity for personal safety told RFA Korean: “Until last year, when a couple divorced, only the person who first filed for divorce was sent to a labor training camp. Starting this month, all divorced couples will be sent to labor training camps.” What Happens Next Depending on the public’s response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s new rule regarding both spouses be punished for pursuing divorce, divorce rates as well as marriage rates and birth rates may decrease in the country, leaving Pyongyang in a vulnerable position in terms of its demographics.