Radio Free Asia 11/18/2019
Wife of Ethnic Chinese Resident in North Korea Sentenced to Hard Labor for Illegal Cell Phone Use
Authorities in North Korea have reportedly sentenced the wife of an ethnic Chinese resident to hard labor for illegal cellphone use, signaling that the leniency the community has enjoyed as foreign citizens has possibly come to an end.
Called Hwagyo in Korean, ethnic Chinese residents are not North Korean citizens and as such are not afforded certain rights that citizens are — they are ineligible to join the ruling Korean Workers’ Party or hold public office, for example.
But because of their foreign status they have traditionally had certain privileges in their daily lives.
North Koreans must attend indoctrination sessions, must only consume state-approved media and are under constant surveillance. Until recently, however, Hwagyo have rarely attracted much scrutiny.
More:
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-hwagyo-family-sentence-11182019143328.html
