North Korean residents gather at a cultural hall in the North Korean town of Kaepung on the western front-line border with South Korea, in this file photo taken from an observatory in the South Korean border city of Paju on Feb. 15, 2023, a day ahead of the 81st anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, father of current leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 10 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea was once again labeled one of the worst countries in terms of freedom, a recent report by a U.S.-funded freedom watchdog showed Friday.
In an annual Freedom House report titled “Freedom in the World 2023,” the North received a combined freedom score of 3 out of 100 — zero points for political rights and 3 points for civil liberties.
It ranked only above Turkmenistan at 2 points, and South Sudan and Syria with just 1 point each among 210 countries assessed by the organization.
South Korea scored 83 points in the index — the same as the United States — and was categorized as a “free” country.
The North has consistently been ranked in the group of the worst nations for freedom since Freedom House published its first annual report in 1972.
(Yonhap)
