[rl3]

On the contrary, DPRK has a long history of threatening people's families to keep them in line.

The simplest explanation here is also the most cruel:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37425542

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_North_Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoeryong_concentration_camp