They say "Saenghwal Chonghwa" is the biggest contributor to North Korea's internal control

‌North Korean experts and defectors
point to Saenghwal Chonghwa (Life Purification Meetings) as the number one method of control.
It is something all citizens must undergo.
There are various groups such as residents, workers, students, housewives, etc.
(organized in groups of 10 to 15 people)
They gather every Saturday to conduct it.
(Usually grouped by residential area)
When they gather, they first have to memorize and recite
Kim Jong-un's instructions and the Party's policies.
Then, they gradually move into the main topic:
"Self-criticism."
It is a time for individuals to confess and admit
the parts where they failed to follow Party guidelines
and their lifestyle attitudes over the past week.
The next part is the core: "Mutual criticism."
Residents who see each other every day
or workers at the same workplace
must criticize one another.
They dig up everything, from trivial matters
to problematic remarks, whether true or not.
If people go easy on each other or do it just for show?
Then the supervisor will harshly reprimand them.
In severe cases, they pick a scapegoat and force
intense criticism until someone is singled out.
If a problem is discovered, heavy disciplinary action follows...
Making a wrong political remark can lead to a labor camp.<
If a supervisor is too lenient,
that supervisor is then punished by the State Security Department.
Anyway, through this Saenghwal Chonghwa,
they break the sense of solidarity among residents and create a prison
where everyone thoroughly monitors each other, and a single slip of the tongue
can lead to ruin.
Fear and anxiety have become part of daily life,
and it is said that people can never trust one another.
This Saenghwal Chonghwa is implemented from age 7.
(Students report on each other and even their own families.)
The intensity increases as one moves up to Party officials or high-ranking positions,
and it is said that all contents are recorded
and reported to the Central Committee.
The only exceptions are the royal family, such as Kim Jong-un,
Ri Sol-ju, and Kim Ju-ae.
There is a debate about whether Kim Yo-jong participates;
many say she does, but even if she does,
she isn't grouped with others but instead
does a solo self-criticism.
In any case, due to this Saenghwal Chonghwa,
it is said that North Korean residents find it difficult to build solidarity.
For your information, in North Korea, even traveling to a neighboring region
requires a permit (e.g., a permit to go from Suwon to Hwaseong).
Reasons such as family events, hospital visits, or business trips are required,
and for provincial residents,
unless it is a very special case, they practically cannot go to Pyongyang
(Pyongyang is an absolute sanctuary).