North Korea is, without question, one of the world’s most repressive states, consistently listed at the bottom of international rankings for human rights, press freedom, economic freedom, and corruption. Decades of isolation, as well as a social system built around a cult of personality and unquestioning support for the state, has left the country in a difficult situation with few easy options towards reform.

For foreigners living in North Korea, trying to enact change in the country, however necessary it might be, can seem like banging one’s head against a brick wall. The political system is dominated by entrenched interests and ruled by fear, and remains a state where officials are rewarded for their loyalty and not their desire to change things.