EMPLOYMENT OF CITIZENS Article 70 of the Constitution of the DPRK states: Citizens have the right to work. All able-bodied citizens can choose a profession according to their wishes and skills and benefit from stable employment and working conditions. Citizens work according to their abilities and are paid according to the quantity and quality of their work. In reality, DPRK citizens cannot choose their professions, but these are dictated by the state. Once again, songbun is a key determinant of the type of work assigned to an individual and the extent to which he or she is able to progress in that career. Heavy manual labor is still assigned to the lower songbun classes, while administrative and government positions are reserved for those with good songbun. There is little economic competition in the DPRK and private commercial enterprise has been officially banned since 1958, so citizens must accept the livelihood assigned to them throughout their lives, with no real prospect of change. Food rations and housing are tied to employment, so citizens cannot choose to leave their workplace without also losing their homes and food. They are therefore forced to endure poor conditions and exploitation at their workplace. Even those who work for public companies that have ceased operations due to dilapidated equipment and economic difficulties cannot leave their jobs, even if they receive no salary. Following the economic collapse of the DPRK in the 1990s, a certain degree of unofficial private businesses began to emerge. However, this comes with corruption, since those who have the resources, connections, and ability to pay the bribes necessary to go into business tend... middle of paper... to be a rights agency. The regime is deeply afraid of foreign influence and does not allow its citizens any access to information beyond its borders. DPRK citizens who risked their lives to escape the regime and were lucky enough to succeed bear witness to the horrors of life. beyond the gaze of the world and the silent cries of the most repressed population in the world. However, there are still many unanswered questions and much ignorance about life within this totalitarian dictatorship. Only when the regime finally opens its doors to the world, either due to economic or political collapse or international pressure, will we truly know what happened inside. of the country during these years. When this happens, it is likely that the picture will be even more horrific than the one we have now...