Mick Hartley

The grim reality of the lives of North Korea's nuclear scientists turns out to be very different from the indulged favourites of the regime that we assume. From South Korea's Chosun Ilbo:

“North Korean nuclear scientists have no autonomy over their lives, with their life paths set for them in almost every aspect – including research fields, housing, food, and marriage – from the time they are elementary school students. In a society where failure is viewed as disloyalty, they live under dehumanizing conditions, forced to work relentlessly for the “task of the fatherland” until death.”

It is widely believed that North Korea, which is heavily investing in nuclear and missile development, favors its 10,000 nuclear scientists. But the the reality is quite the opposite, according to an analysis by a Korean Peninsula expert based in Washington, D.C.

Robert Collins, who served 31 years in the United States Forces Korea, including as the chief strategist for the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), detailed the struggles of North Korean nuclear experts in his report “Slave to the Bomb” on May 10. His report is based on testimonies from North Korean defectors he interviewed and various classified materials….

According to the 200-page report obtained in advance by The Chosunilbo, a North Korean child’s fate as a so-called “slave to the bomb” is determined at an age as early as ten. North Korea has a system that allows administrative units, whether rural or urban, to select and recruit children who excel in mathematics and science.

“The best students from each region are gathered and trained in math, science, physics, and other subjects,” Collins states in the report. “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.”…

The report states, “Once a nuclear scientist achieves significant academic success in a particular research field, their professional fate is sealed.” They must live a life dedicated to serving the Kim regime, and from then on, the only variables in their life are which nuclear facility they work for and the quality of their associated housing.