SEOUL - North Korea continues to be rated as one of the most repressive countries globally.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the latest "Freedom in the World 2024" report by U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House. The country received a meager three out of 100 points in the freedom index, scoring zero in political rights and three in civil liberties.
The report places North Korea among the lowest-ranked countries, trailing behind Syria, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan, and tied with Eritrea. In stark contrast, South Korea was classified as a "free" country with 83 points in the index. Freedom House highlighted ongoing political oppression, human rights abuses, and surveillance of civilians in North Korea. Since the inaugural report in 1973, North Korea has consistently been grouped among the nations with the least freedom. The freedom index scores are derived from metrics based on the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, categorizing countries into "free," "partly free," and "not free."