Ask a North Korean: How common are extramarital affairs? | NK News
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September 28, 2026Sep 28, 2026

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Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: How common are extramarital affairs?

Strict rules that discourage divorce by party officials have the side effect of encouraging infidelity

“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years.

Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing [email protected] and including their first name and city of residence.

Today’s question is about the prevalence of extramarital affairs in North Korea

Joshua Kim (a pseudonym) — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until he defected in 2019 — writes about cases where he observed infidelity and why affairs are more common among the country’s top ranks.