Skip to the section “defectors.” Essentially, information on the DPRK is hard to verify, and 70% of defectors are unemployed, so many turn to selling sensationalized stories that are more fantasy than reality in order to make a living. See Yeonmi Park for perhaps the most famous “celebrity defector.”

The authenticity of her claims about life in North Korea – many of which have contradicted her earlier stories and those of both her mother and fellow defectors from North Korea – have been the subject of widespread skepticism. Political commentators, journalists and professors of Korean studies have criticized Park’s accounts of life in North Korea for inconsistencies,[8][9][10] contradictory claims, and exaggerations.[11][12][1] Other North Korean defectors, including those from the same city as Park, have expressed concern that the tendency for “celebrity defectors” to exaggerate about life in North Korea will produce skepticism about their stories.[13][14] In 2014, The Diplomat published an investigation by journalist Mary Ann Jolley, who had previously worked with Park, documenting numerous inconsistencies in Park’s memories and descriptions of life in Korea.[13] In July 2023, a Washington Post investigation found there was little truth to Park’s claims about life in North Korea.[3] Park attributed the discrepancies to her imperfect memory and language skills,[3][13] and her autobiography’s coauthor, Maryanne Vollers, said Park was the victim of a North Korean smear campaign.[15]

These are both just Wikipedia, you can find way more elsewhere why defectors aren’t a good source of information on the DPRK. Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in Seoul is a good documentary on the horrible treatment of defectors in the Republic of Korea and why the celebrity defector industry exists.

Empire employment