Here are some problems that many North Koreans commonly face.
Petty crimes committed in North Korea could get the prisoner tortured and executed(or died already from being beaten to death from the excessive torture).
Those who are accused of political offense are sent to labor camps, including their immediate family(such as spouse,children,and parents) and even grandchildren(if they have).
The death rates in these labor camps are extremely high and North Korea stated they never acknowledged that these camps existed even though officials from South Korea and the U.S estimated 200,000 have been imprisoned in these camps.
These labor camps include physical work without pay, lack of food, abuse, and little or no medical care. Work done in these labor camps include mining, logging, and agricultural labor with rudimentary tools meaning none advanced and done by hand.
Those who try to leave the country without permission will be dragged back to North Korea to be interrogated then tortured and their punishment will be decided on that person did while in that other country.
The government uses fear to keep order by threatening the people with public executions or forced labor.
Women who are held as prisoners are raped by the prison guards.
There’s a long period of food shortage and to avoid famine, people resorted to cannibalism to survive but are still on the verge of starvation(10,000 deaths resulted from starvation).