North Korean Nuclear Scientists: Slaves to the Bomb

North Korean Nuclear Scientists’ Human Rights
Freedom of Marriage and Residence Denied
Rice Distribution Less than 2.2 lbs

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On the 10th, Robert Collins, who served in the U.S. forces in Korea for 31 years and held high-ranking positions such as the top strategist of the U.S.-ROK Joint Command, released a report titled Slave to the Bomb: The Role and Fate of North Korea’s Nuclear Scientists. This report detailed the human rights violations of nuclear scientists who are dependent on the North Korean regime.

Collins collected information through testimonies and interviews with defectors and compiled various unpublished materials to come to this conclusion.

“Outsiders assume that nuclear scientists are well-treated because nuclear energy is so important to Kim Jong Un and North Korea’s survival, but this is not the case,” he explained. “With the supreme leader demanding the development of sophisticated weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, nuclear scientists face a dangerous future with no way out but to succeed.”

Korean Central News Agency

According to the content of the 200-page report produced by Robert Collins, the fate of North Korean nuclear scientists is determined at a young age, not even ten years old, as so-called slaves to the bomb.

North Korea has a system to select outstanding young talents who demonstrate exceptional abilities in science and mathematics from urban to rural areas based on detailed administrative units.

In the report, Collins explains, “The best students from each region are gathered and trained in math, science, physics, and other subjects,” and  “If they stand out, their entire families are sometimes forced to move so that the students can advance to a higher-level school in the capital city.” These students are known to be at a level where they consistently participate in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Korean Central News Agency

The report states, “Once a nuclear scientist achieves significant academic success in a particular research field, their professional fate is sealed.” The only changes in their lives could be the workplace and the quality of housing that comes with it, but they must dedicate a life to the Kim regime.

Consequently, the state controls even marriage, depriving them of freedom of choice. “Those who voice their displeasure face the consequences and lose out on different advantages,” the report revealed.

Furthermore, despite the UN Security Council’s long-term sanctions against North Korea, the prodigies selected by North Korea are given opportunities to study abroad. However, these educational opportunities also move according to the will of the North Korean authorities, without any personal freedom.

Korean Central News Agency

Recently, a defector who formerly worked as a nuclear scientist in North Korea appeared on YouTube to reveal the current situation in North Korea.

After fleeing North Korea, he secured a position as a researcher at a major corporation in South Korea.

He said that he was admitted to the Academy of Sciences of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, where a small number of geniuses gather in North Korea, and was involved in the development of military weapons. Despite being a top-level scientist, he explained that he could not even receive 2.2 lbs of rice. This means that they barely have enough to eat.

In particular, he said that despite receiving higher education, ordinary North Korean scientists have to work while struggling financially.