A North Korean flag flutters at the North Korean village of Kijong-dong within the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, July 19, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap

U.S. President Donald Trump's push to freeze foreign aid is putting North Korean human rights organizations at risk, with some expressing concerns that they may need to seek alternative funding sources.

In January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, under pressure from Elon Musk, froze all funding of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which has been a critical source of funding for many NGOs working on North Korean issues and human rights, including Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights and the Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights.

"North Korean human rights organizations have heavily relied on U.S. government funding. Thankfully the U.S. administration has restored partial funding, which allows NED to begin stabilizing operations and resume grant making, but there is still a lot of uncertainty. The temporary budget freeze prompted us to look for ways to diversify funding," said Ethan Hee-seok Shin, a legal analyst at TJWG.

The NED is estimated to have spent about $5 million to support North Korea-focused human rights organizations in 2023. The U.S. State Department's Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) bureau is estimated to have spent roughly $5 million annually to help improve the human rights situation in North Korea, according to Sejong Institute.

"The (DRL) and the (NED) have suspended support for North Korean human rights organizations, which will likely deal a major blow to human rights abuse documentation and advocacy efforts," Peter Ward, a research fellow at Sejong Institute, said in a recent report.

"The South Korean government should consider providing emergency relief and find ways to help North Korean human rights groups survive medium to long term."

Ward noted that while the Ministry of Unification's budget increase for supporting private organizations' efforts to promote North Korean human rights is a positive development, it still falls short of the level of assistance provided by the U.S.

Shin pointed out that South Korea's funding is about one-fifth of U.S. funding. "The government funding doesn't cover overhead costs like office rent expenses, administrative staff and accounting," he said.

The unification ministry allocated 2.9 million won ($2 million) for North Korean human rights groups in 2025, up 61.7 percent from the year before.

"We are communicating closely with North Korea human rights groups. We are currently in grant review process after receiving applications. We will do our best to ensure that these civic groups and their activities are supported to the fullest," a senior unification ministry official said.

Trump's move to stop financing Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, which have been receiving support from the U.S. government to inform the public about the reality of human rights in North Korea and to inform North Koreans about freedom and democracy, have also raised concerns among activists.