Human rights in North Korea
Encyclopedia
The human rights record of North Korea
is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do. Aid workers are subject to considerable scrutiny and excluded from places and regions the government does not wish them to enter. Since citizens cannot freely leave the country, it is mainly from stories of refugees and defectors that the nation's human rights record has been constructed. The government's position, expressed through the Korean Central News Agency
, is that North Korea has no human rights issue, because its socialist system was chosen by the people and serves them faithfully.
While it is difficult to piece together a clear picture of the situation within the country, it is widely believed that the government of North Korea controls virtually all activities
within the nation. Citizens are not allowed to freely speak their minds
and the government detains those who criticize the regime
. The only radio, television, and news organizations
that are deemed legal are those operated by the government. The media, as with Kim Il-sung
, universally praise the administration of Kim Jong-Il
.
A number of human rights organizations and governments have condemned North Korea's human rights record, including Amnesty International
and the United Nations, which passed a General Assembly
resolution in 2008. In its 2006 country report on North Korea, the American government-funded Freedom House
alleged that the country "is a totalitarian dictatorship." Freedom House categorized North Korea as "Not Free". North Korea has charged that those who make allegations about human rights in the country are interfering in the country's internal affairs and trying to force down their values.
In 2004, the United States government adopted the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
, which criticised North Korea and outlined steps the United States should take towards North Korea. With the exception of the international abductions issue regarding Japanese, Americans
, and South Koreans
, which it says has been fully resolved, North Korea strongly rejects all reports of human rights violations and accuses the defectors of lying and promoting a pro-West agenda.
has officially acknowledged the widespread human rights violations that regularly occur in North Korea. The following section is a direct quote from the United Nation's Human Rights Resolution 2005/11 referring specifically to occurrences in North Korea:
way of life. Criticism
of the government and its leaders is strictly curtailed and making such statements can be cause for arrest and consignment to one of North Korea's "re-education" camps. The government distributes all radio and television sets; citizens are forbidden to alter them to make it possible to receive broadcasts from other nations, and doing so carries draconian penalties.
There are numerous civic organizations but all of them appear to be operated by the government. All routinely praise the government and perpetuate the personality cults of Kim Jong-il
and his deceased father Kim Il-sung
. Defectors indicate that the promotion of the cult of personality is one of the primary functions of almost all films, plays, and books produced within the country.
The government was concerned that faith-based South Korean relief and refugee assistance efforts along the northeast border of China had both humanitarian and political goals, including the overthrow of the regime. Defectors cite instances of execution of individuals involved with Bible smuggling.
There are actually four churches in Pyongyang—two Protestant churches, a Catholic church, and a Russian Orthodox church. However, it has been claimed by North Korean defectors that these churches are façades filled with government workers, and that they are used to convince foreign aid workers and tourists in Pyongyang that North Korea is a free society.
A North Korean political party, the Chondoist Chongu
, represents the interests of Cheondoism
followers in the North Korean government.
North Korean refugees who flee to China are often later forcibly repatriated back to North Korea by Chinese authorities, and are routinely beaten and sent to prison camps. This is because the North Korean government treats emigrants from the country as defectors. This treatment is more severe in cases where North Korean refugees have come into contact with NGOs that are associated with South Korea or with religions, especially Christianity. In cases where the North Korean government discovers that contact has occurred between refugees and these NGOs, the punishments for these refugees are torture and execution upon their repatriation back to North Korea.
Only the most loyal, politically reliable, and healthiest citizens are allowed to live in Pyongyang
. Those who are suspected of sedition
, or who have family members suspected of it, are expelled from the city; similar conditions affect those who are physically or mentally disabled in some way (the only exception being People's Army Korean War
veterans with injuries relating to the conflict). This can be a significant method of coercion since food and housing are said to be much better in the capital city than elsewhere in the country.
) on the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders
. The constitution of North Korea provides for freedom of the press
, but in practice all media is strictly controlled by the government. The national media is focused almost entirely on political propaganda and the promotion of the personality cults surrounding Kim Il-Sung
and Kim Jong-Il
. It emphasizes historical grievances towards the United States and Japan. According to the North Korean government's account of history, the country was the victim of aggression during the Korean War
by the United States, while historians from the West say that it was North Korea that started the war.
Reporters Without Borders claims that radio or television sets which can be bought in North Korea are pre-set to receive only the government frequencies and sealed with a label to prevent tampering with the equipment. It is a serious criminal offense to manipulate the sets and receive radio or television broadcasts from outside North Korea. In a party campaign in 2003 the head of each party cell in neighbourhoods and villages received instructions to verify the seals on all radio sets.
As North and South Korea use different television systems (PAL
and NTSC
respectively), it is not possible to view broadcasts across the border between the two countries; however, in areas bordering China, it has reportedly been possible to receive television from that country. A North Korean envoy
for the United Nations reported that any North Korean citizen caught watching a South Korean film may result in that person being sent to a labour camp.
and today immigration is almost non-existent. Among the few immigrants that have willingly gone to North Korea are Japanese spouses (generally wives) of Koreans who returned from Japan from 1955 to the early 1980s. These Japanese have been forced to assimilate and for the most part, the returnees overall are reported to have not been fully accepted into North Korean society (with a few exceptions, such as those who became part of the government) and instead ended up on the fringes, including concentration camps mentioned below. Foreigners who visit the country are generally strictly monitored by government minders and are forbidden to enter certain locations.
reported from South Korea that a North Korean doctor who defected, Ri Kwang-chol, has claimed that babies born with physical defects are rapidly put to death and buried. A United Nations report also mentions how disabled people are allegedly "rounded up" and sent to "special camps." People diagnosed with autism
and other related disorders are often persecuted.
that includes prostitution teams. The source used is unclear as to whether only adult kippŭmjo are assigned to prostitution or whether there is prostitution of children
– other kippŭmjo activities are massaging and cabaret dancing. Claims were made that there are orders "to marry guards of Kim Jong-il
or national heroes" when they are 25 years old.
In October 2007, a South Pyongan province factory chief convicted of making international phone calls from 13 phones he installed in his factory basement was executed by firing squad in front of a crowd of 150,000 people in a stadium. In another instance, 15 people were publicly executed for crossing into China.
Reports from the aid agency "Good Friends" also said that six were killed in the crush as spectators left.
A U.N. General Assembly committee has adopted a draft resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries, expressing "very serious concern" at reports of widespread human rights violations in North Korea, including public executions. The DPRK has condemned the draft, saying it was inaccurate and biased, but it was still sent to the then 192-member General Assembly for a final vote.
In 2011, two people were executed in front of 500 spectators for handling propaganda leaflets floated across the border from South Korea, apparently as part of a campaign by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il
to tighten ideological control as he grooms his youngest son as eventual successor. (RFA)
The DPRK government flatly denies all allegations of human rights violations in prison camps, claiming that this is prohibited by criminal procedure law, but former prisoners testify that there are completely different rules in the prison camps. The DPRK government failed to provide any information on prisoners or prison camps or to allow access to any human rights organization.
Lee Soon-ok
gave detailed testimony on her treatment in the North Korean prison system to the United States House of Representatives
in 2002. In her statement she said, "I testify that most of the 6,000 prisoners who were there when I arrived in 1987 had quietly perished under the harsh prison conditions by the time I was released in 1992."
Many other former prisoners, e. g. Kang Chol-hwan
and Shin Dong-hyuk
, gave detailed and consistent testimonies on the human rights crimes in North Korean prison camps.
According to the testimony of a defected former guard at camp 21, the guards are trained to treat the detainees as sub-human, and he gave an account of children in one of the camps who were fighting over who got to eat a kernel of corn retrieved from cow dung.
The North Korean prison camp facilities can be distinguished into large internment camps for political prisoners (Kwan-li-so in Korean) and reeducation prison camps (Kyo-hwa-so in Korean).
The internment camps are located in central and northeastern North Korea. They comprise many prison labor colonies in secluded mountain valleys, completely isolated from the outside world. The total number of prisoners is estimated to be 150,000 to 200,000. Yodok camp
and Bukchang camp
are separated into two sections: One section for political prisoners in lifelong detention, another part similar to re-education camps with prisoners sentenced to long-term imprisonment with the vague hope of eventual release.
The prisoners are forced to perform hard and dangerous slave work with primitive means in mining and agriculture. The food rations are very small, so that the prisoners are constantly on the brink of starvation. In combination with the hard work this leads to huge numbers of prisoners dying. An estimated 40% of prisoners die from malnutrition. Moreover many prisoners are crippled from work accidents, frostbite or torture. There is a rigid punishment in the camp. Prisoners that work too slow or do not obey an order are beaten or tortured. In case of stealing food or attempting to escape, the prisoners are publicly executed.
Initially there were around twelve political prison camps, but some were merged or closed (e. g. Onsong prison camp
, Kwan-li-so No. 12, following a defeated riot with around 5000 dead people in 1987). Today there are six political prison camps in North Korea (size determined from satellite images, number of prisoners estimated by former prisoners).
Most of the camps are documented in testimonies of former prisoners and for all of them coordinates and satellite images are available.
The South Korean journalist Kang Chol-hwan
is a former prisoner of Yodok Political Prison Camp
and has written a book The Aquariums of Pyongyang
about his time in the camp. The South Korean human rights activist Shin Dong-hyuk
is the only person known to have escaped from Kaechon Political Prison Camp
and gave an account of his time in the camp.
The reeducation camps are large prison building complexes surrounded by high walls. The situation of prisoners is quite similar to that in the political prison camps. They have to perform slave work in prison factories and in case they do not meet the work quota, they are tortured and (at least in Kaechon camp
) confined for many days to special prison cells, too small to stand up or lie full-length in. In distinction from the internment camps for political prisoners, the reeducation camp prisoners are instructed ideologically after work and are forced to memorize speeches of Kim Il-sung
and Kim Jong-il
and have to undergo self-criticism rites. Many prison inmates are guilty of common crimes penalized also in other countries, but often they were committed out of economic necessity, e. g. stealing food, smuggling or illegal trade .
There are around 15 – 20 reeducation camps in North Korea.
Two camps are documented with coordinates, satellite images and testimonies of former prisoners.
Other camps are documented with short testimonies of former prisoners.
Further camps are mentioned to be in Jeungsan, Taehŭng and Sŭnghori (already closed).
The South Korean human rights activist Lee Soon-ok
has written a book (Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
) about her time in the camp and testified before the US Senate.
. Following the death of Kim Il-Sung, North Koreans were prostrating and crying to a bronze
statue of him in an organized event.
, including the food sector, has suffered from severe mismanagement in recent decades. North Korea also experienced severe floods in the mid-1990s, exacerbated by poor land management. A serious famine followed, resulting in the death of around 2,000,000 people.
By 1999, food aid and development aid from other countries had reduced the rate of famine deaths. In the spring of 2005, the World Food Program reported that famine conditions were in imminent danger of returning to North Korea, and the government was reported to have ordered millions of city-dwellers to the countryside to perform farm labour. In 2005, the agricultural situation showed signs of improvement, rising 5.3% to 4.54 million tons; this was largely the result of increased donations of fertilizers from South Korea. However, the World Food Program stated that this was short of the estimated 6 million tons necessary to adequately feed the population. Nevertheless, North Korea called for food aid to cease, and shipments of food to the country ended on December 31 of that year. In the same period, news sources reported that North Korea continued to raise food prices while reducing food rations.
The U.S. State Department claims that North Korea's society is highly stratified by class, according to a citizen's family and political background.
Before the cessation of food shipments at the end of 2005, the World Food Program sought $200 million in emergency food aid for North Korea, an increase from its 2004 request of $171 million. By comparison, its 2002 defense budget was $5,200 million according to the CIA
World Factbook
.
The DPRK Government explained that the country suffered from severe economic hardships starting from the mid-1990s that led to a sharp deterioration of people's health.
there were reports that North Korea had abducted many foreign nationals, mainly South Koreans and Japanese. For years these were dismissed as conspiracy theories even by many of the regime's critics; however, in September 2002, Kim Jong-Il acknowledged to Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi
the involvement of North Korean "special institutions" in the kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He stated that those responsible had been punished. Five surviving victims were allowed to visit Japan and decided not to return to North Korea. For eight more Japanese abductees, officials claimed deaths caused by accidents or illnesses; Japan says this leaves two still unaccounted for, and says that what the North claimed were the ashes of Megumi Yokota
were not hers. In addition, information from American deserter Charles Robert Jenkins
indicates that North Korea kidnapped a Thai
woman in 1978.
Despite the admission to Prime Minister Koizumi, the North Korean government continues to deny the kidnappings of other foreign nationals and refuses any cooperation to investigate further cases of suspected abductions. However, officials of the South Korean government claim that 486 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, are believed to have been abducted since the end of the Korean War. Advocates and family members have accused the government of doing little or nothing to gain their freedom.
A few countries have condemned the allegations made against the DPRK. China's delegation to the United Nations said that the DPRK has made considerable progress in protecting human rights. Sudan said that instead of criticizing the country, there should be support by the international community for DPRK's efforts to protect human rights. Venezuela's delegation to the United Nations asserted that the allegations made by UN observers against the DPRK are based on flawed criteria and are not credible. Cuba's delegation to the United Nations said that the body's claims made against the DPRK are politically motivated and seek to impose isolation and pressure on the country, in violation of the Human Rights Council's stated principles.
The U.S. and Japan have passed laws and created envoys to focus attention to this issue. The U.S. initially passed the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
in October of that year, and reauthorized the law in 2008. It created an office at the State Department focused on North Korean human rights, run originally by Special Envoy Jay Lefkowitz
.
Robert Park, a Korean-American Christian missionary from Arizona, illegally entered North Korea on Christmas Day, 2009, with the purpose of drawing attention to North Korea's human rights abuses. He was released on February 6, 2010. Park has remained publicly silent about his time in captivity but it has been reported that he was severely tortured. Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a second American who illegally entered North Korea in January, was imprisoned for 8 months before being freed following a humanitarian visit by former US President Jimmy Carter
. Gomes, a teacher from Boston, Massachusetts, devout Christian, and associate of Robert Park, was tried by North Korea for his illegal entry, and on April 6, 2010, was sentenced to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 (USD). Later that month he was allowed to speak to his mother by phone. In late June, North Korea responded to international findings that it had deliberately sunk the South Korean patrol boat Cheonan
in March by publicly threatening to impose on Gomes "harsher punishment" based on "wartime law." Gomes was reported to have attempted suicide in July.
Web Logs
U.S. State Department Annual Reports
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do. Aid workers are subject to considerable scrutiny and excluded from places and regions the government does not wish them to enter. Since citizens cannot freely leave the country, it is mainly from stories of refugees and defectors that the nation's human rights record has been constructed. The government's position, expressed through the Korean Central News Agency
Korean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
, is that North Korea has no human rights issue, because its socialist system was chosen by the people and serves them faithfully.
While it is difficult to piece together a clear picture of the situation within the country, it is widely believed that the government of North Korea controls virtually all activities
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
within the nation. Citizens are not allowed to freely speak their minds
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and the government detains those who criticize the regime
Administrative detention
Administrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial, usually for security reasons. A large number of countries, both democratic and undemocratic, resort to administrative detention as a means to combat terrorism, control illegal immigration, or to protect the...
. The only radio, television, and news organizations
Media of North Korea
The media of North Korea is one of the most strictly controlled in the world. As a result, information is tightly controlled both into and out of North Korea. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice...
that are deemed legal are those operated by the government. The media, as with Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
, universally praise the administration of Kim Jong-Il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
.
A number of human rights organizations and governments have condemned North Korea's human rights record, including Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and the United Nations, which passed a General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
resolution in 2008. In its 2006 country report on North Korea, the American government-funded Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
alleged that the country "is a totalitarian dictatorship." Freedom House categorized North Korea as "Not Free". North Korea has charged that those who make allegations about human rights in the country are interfering in the country's internal affairs and trying to force down their values.
In 2004, the United States government adopted the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
Signed into U.S. law by President George W. Bush on October 18, 2004, the North Korean Human Rights Act is intended to make it easier for the United States to assist North Korean refugees by:...
, which criticised North Korea and outlined steps the United States should take towards North Korea. With the exception of the international abductions issue regarding Japanese, Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and South Koreans
North Korean abductions of South Koreans
An estimated 84,532 South Koreans were taken to North Korea during the Korean War. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted in North Korea , 480 of whom are still being held by North Korea.- Two types of Abductees...
, which it says has been fully resolved, North Korea strongly rejects all reports of human rights violations and accuses the defectors of lying and promoting a pro-West agenda.
Civil liberties
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948...
has officially acknowledged the widespread human rights violations that regularly occur in North Korea. The following section is a direct quote from the United Nation's Human Rights Resolution 2005/11 referring specifically to occurrences in North Korea:
Freedom of expression
The North Korean constitution has clauses guaranteeing the freedoms of speech and assembly. In practice other clauses take precedence, including the requirement that citizens follow a socialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
way of life. Criticism
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
of the government and its leaders is strictly curtailed and making such statements can be cause for arrest and consignment to one of North Korea's "re-education" camps. The government distributes all radio and television sets; citizens are forbidden to alter them to make it possible to receive broadcasts from other nations, and doing so carries draconian penalties.
There are numerous civic organizations but all of them appear to be operated by the government. All routinely praise the government and perpetuate the personality cults of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
and his deceased father Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
. Defectors indicate that the promotion of the cult of personality is one of the primary functions of almost all films, plays, and books produced within the country.
Freedom of religion
Though the North Korean government estimates that there are 100,000 Buddhists, 10,000 Protestants, and 4,000 Catholics worshiping at 500 churches, it is unknown if there are any Catholic priests in the country and some reports indicate that the religious organizations that do exist are primarily meant to facilitate interaction with other nations. It is known that in China near the border with North Korea, a number of Christian organizations have been active, helping refugees and, by many reports, smuggling in Bibles and other religious material.The government was concerned that faith-based South Korean relief and refugee assistance efforts along the northeast border of China had both humanitarian and political goals, including the overthrow of the regime. Defectors cite instances of execution of individuals involved with Bible smuggling.
There are actually four churches in Pyongyang—two Protestant churches, a Catholic church, and a Russian Orthodox church. However, it has been claimed by North Korean defectors that these churches are façades filled with government workers, and that they are used to convince foreign aid workers and tourists in Pyongyang that North Korea is a free society.
A North Korean political party, the Chondoist Chongu
Chondoist Chongu Party
The Chondoist Chongu Party is a united front party in North Korea and is labeled as democratic by the government of the country. The party was founded on February 5, 1946, by a group of followers of the Chondogyo religion...
, represents the interests of Cheondoism
Cheondoism
Cheondoism or Chondoism is a 20th-century Korean religious movement, based on the 19th century Donghak movement founded by Choe Je-u that had its origins in the peasant rebellions which arose starting in 1812 during the Joseon Dynasty...
followers in the North Korean government.
Freedom of movement
North Korean citizens usually cannot freely travel around the country, much less travel abroad. Only the political elite may own or lease vehicles, and the government limits access to fuel and other forms of transportation due to frequent shortages of gasoline, diesel fuel, crude oil, coal and other fossil fuels. (Satellite photos of North Korea show an almost complete absence of vehicles on all of its roads throughout the country, even in its cities.) Forced resettlement of citizens and whole families, especially as punishment for political reasons, is said to be routine.North Korean refugees who flee to China are often later forcibly repatriated back to North Korea by Chinese authorities, and are routinely beaten and sent to prison camps. This is because the North Korean government treats emigrants from the country as defectors. This treatment is more severe in cases where North Korean refugees have come into contact with NGOs that are associated with South Korea or with religions, especially Christianity. In cases where the North Korean government discovers that contact has occurred between refugees and these NGOs, the punishments for these refugees are torture and execution upon their repatriation back to North Korea.
Only the most loyal, politically reliable, and healthiest citizens are allowed to live in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. Those who are suspected of sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
, or who have family members suspected of it, are expelled from the city; similar conditions affect those who are physically or mentally disabled in some way (the only exception being People's Army Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veterans with injuries relating to the conflict). This can be a significant method of coercion since food and housing are said to be much better in the capital city than elsewhere in the country.
Freedom of the press
North Korea is currently ranked second to last (ahead of EritreaEritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
) on the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
. The constitution of North Korea provides for freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, but in practice all media is strictly controlled by the government. The national media is focused almost entirely on political propaganda and the promotion of the personality cults surrounding Kim Il-Sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
and Kim Jong-Il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
. It emphasizes historical grievances towards the United States and Japan. According to the North Korean government's account of history, the country was the victim of aggression during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
by the United States, while historians from the West say that it was North Korea that started the war.
Reporters Without Borders claims that radio or television sets which can be bought in North Korea are pre-set to receive only the government frequencies and sealed with a label to prevent tampering with the equipment. It is a serious criminal offense to manipulate the sets and receive radio or television broadcasts from outside North Korea. In a party campaign in 2003 the head of each party cell in neighbourhoods and villages received instructions to verify the seals on all radio sets.
As North and South Korea use different television systems (PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
and NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
respectively), it is not possible to view broadcasts across the border between the two countries; however, in areas bordering China, it has reportedly been possible to receive television from that country. A North Korean envoy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
for the United Nations reported that any North Korean citizen caught watching a South Korean film may result in that person being sent to a labour camp.
Minority rights
North Korea's population is one of the world's most ethnically homogeneousDemographics of North Korea
This article is about the demographic features of the population of North Korea, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
and today immigration is almost non-existent. Among the few immigrants that have willingly gone to North Korea are Japanese spouses (generally wives) of Koreans who returned from Japan from 1955 to the early 1980s. These Japanese have been forced to assimilate and for the most part, the returnees overall are reported to have not been fully accepted into North Korean society (with a few exceptions, such as those who became part of the government) and instead ended up on the fringes, including concentration camps mentioned below. Foreigners who visit the country are generally strictly monitored by government minders and are forbidden to enter certain locations.
Disabled rights
On March 22, 2006, the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported from South Korea that a North Korean doctor who defected, Ri Kwang-chol, has claimed that babies born with physical defects are rapidly put to death and buried. A United Nations report also mentions how disabled people are allegedly "rounded up" and sent to "special camps." People diagnosed with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and other related disorders are often persecuted.
Forced prostitution
A group called "A Woman's Voice International" alleged that the state forcibly drafts girls as young as 14 years to work in the so-called kippŭmjoGippeumjo
The Gippeumjo is a collection of groups of approximately 2,000 women and girls between the ages of 13 and 40 , which are maintained by the head of state of North Korea for the purpose of...
that includes prostitution teams. The source used is unclear as to whether only adult kippŭmjo are assigned to prostitution or whether there is prostitution of children
Prostitution of children
Prostitution of children or child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of children in which a child performs the services of prostitution, for financial benefit. The term normally refers to prostitution by a minor, or person under the local age of majority...
– other kippŭmjo activities are massaging and cabaret dancing. Claims were made that there are orders "to marry guards of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
or national heroes" when they are 25 years old.
Public executions
The DPRK resumed public executions in October 2007 after they had declined in the years following 2000 amidst international criticism. Prominent executed criminals include officials convicted of drug trafficking and embezzlement. Common criminals convicted of crimes such as murder, robbery, rape, etc. have also been reported to be executed, mostly by firing squad. The DPRK does not publicly release national crime statistics or reports on the levels of crimes.In October 2007, a South Pyongan province factory chief convicted of making international phone calls from 13 phones he installed in his factory basement was executed by firing squad in front of a crowd of 150,000 people in a stadium. In another instance, 15 people were publicly executed for crossing into China.
Reports from the aid agency "Good Friends" also said that six were killed in the crush as spectators left.
A U.N. General Assembly committee has adopted a draft resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries, expressing "very serious concern" at reports of widespread human rights violations in North Korea, including public executions. The DPRK has condemned the draft, saying it was inaccurate and biased, but it was still sent to the then 192-member General Assembly for a final vote.
In 2011, two people were executed in front of 500 spectators for handling propaganda leaflets floated across the border from South Korea, apparently as part of a campaign by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
to tighten ideological control as he grooms his youngest son as eventual successor. (RFA)
The prison system
According to many organizations, the conditions in North Korean prisons are harsh and life threatening: Prisoners are subject to torture and inhumane treatment. Public and secret executions of prisoners, even children, especially in cases of escape attempts; infanticides (forced abortions and baby killings upon birth) also often occur. The mortality rate is very high, because many prisoners die of starvation, illnesses, work accidents or torture.The DPRK government flatly denies all allegations of human rights violations in prison camps, claiming that this is prohibited by criminal procedure law, but former prisoners testify that there are completely different rules in the prison camps. The DPRK government failed to provide any information on prisoners or prison camps or to allow access to any human rights organization.
Lee Soon-ok
Lee Soon Ok
Lee Soon Ok is a former political prisoner and defector from North Korea. She resides in South Korea.-Imprisonment:For six years, Lee was imprisoned in Kaechon concentration camp where she has reported witnessing forced abortions, infanticide, several instances of rape, public executions, testing...
gave detailed testimony on her treatment in the North Korean prison system to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 2002. In her statement she said, "I testify that most of the 6,000 prisoners who were there when I arrived in 1987 had quietly perished under the harsh prison conditions by the time I was released in 1992."
Many other former prisoners, e. g. Kang Chol-hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector from North Korea. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China and eventually to South Korea...
and Shin Dong-hyuk
Shin Dong-hyuk (human rights activist)
Shin Dong-hyuk is a North Korean defector living in South Korea. He is the only known person to have escaped from a 'total-control zone' grade concentration camp in North Korea. He has given testimony on his life in Kwan-li-so No...
, gave detailed and consistent testimonies on the human rights crimes in North Korean prison camps.
According to the testimony of a defected former guard at camp 21, the guards are trained to treat the detainees as sub-human, and he gave an account of children in one of the camps who were fighting over who got to eat a kernel of corn retrieved from cow dung.
The North Korean prison camp facilities can be distinguished into large internment camps for political prisoners (Kwan-li-so in Korean) and reeducation prison camps (Kyo-hwa-so in Korean).
Internment camps for political prisoners
The internment camps for people accused of political offences or denounced as politically unreliable are run by the state security department. Political prisoners are subject to guilt by association punishment. They are deported with parents, children and siblings, sometimes even grandparents or grandchildren without any lawsuit or conviction and are detained for the rest of their lives.The internment camps are located in central and northeastern North Korea. They comprise many prison labor colonies in secluded mountain valleys, completely isolated from the outside world. The total number of prisoners is estimated to be 150,000 to 200,000. Yodok camp
Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
and Bukchang camp
Bukchang concentration camp
Bukchang concentration camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. It is sometimes called Tŭkchang concentration camp . The official name is Kwan-li-so No...
are separated into two sections: One section for political prisoners in lifelong detention, another part similar to re-education camps with prisoners sentenced to long-term imprisonment with the vague hope of eventual release.
The prisoners are forced to perform hard and dangerous slave work with primitive means in mining and agriculture. The food rations are very small, so that the prisoners are constantly on the brink of starvation. In combination with the hard work this leads to huge numbers of prisoners dying. An estimated 40% of prisoners die from malnutrition. Moreover many prisoners are crippled from work accidents, frostbite or torture. There is a rigid punishment in the camp. Prisoners that work too slow or do not obey an order are beaten or tortured. In case of stealing food or attempting to escape, the prisoners are publicly executed.
Initially there were around twelve political prison camps, but some were merged or closed (e. g. Onsong prison camp
Onsong concentration camp
The Onsong concentration camp was an internment camp in North Korea. It housed approximately 15,000 political prisoners and was located in Changpyong, Onsong County, North Hamgyong. It was officially known as Concentration Camp No...
, Kwan-li-so No. 12, following a defeated riot with around 5000 dead people in 1987). Today there are six political prison camps in North Korea (size determined from satellite images, number of prisoners estimated by former prisoners).
Most of the camps are documented in testimonies of former prisoners and for all of them coordinates and satellite images are available.
| Political Prison Camp | Official Name | Size | Prisoners |
| Kaechon Political Prison Camp Kaechon internment camp Kaechon internment camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 14. It is not to be confused with Kaechon concentration camp Kaechon internment camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a labor camp in North Korea for political... |
Kwan-li-so No. 14 | 155 km² (60 mi²) | 15,000 |
| Yodok Political Prison Camp Yodok concentration camp Yodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:... |
Kwan-li-so No. 15 | 378 km² (146 mi²) | 46,500 |
| Hwasong Political Prison Camp Hwasong concentration camp Hwasong concentration camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 16.- Location :... |
Kwan-li-so No. 16 | 549 km² (212 mi²) | 10,000 |
| Bukchang Political Prison Camp Bukchang concentration camp Bukchang concentration camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. It is sometimes called Tŭkchang concentration camp . The official name is Kwan-li-so No... |
Kwan-li-so No. 18 | 73 km² (28 mi²) | 50,000 |
| Haengyong Political Prison Camp | Kwan-li-so No. 22 | 225 km² (87 mi²) | 50,000 |
| Chongjin Political Prison Camp Chongjin concentration camp Chongjin concentration camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 25.-Location:... |
Kwan-li-so No. 25 | 0,25 km² (0,1 mi²) | 3,000+ |
The South Korean journalist Kang Chol-hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector from North Korea. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China and eventually to South Korea...
is a former prisoner of Yodok Political Prison Camp
Yodok concentration camp
Yodok concentration camp is a political prison camp in North Korea. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 15.-Location:...
and has written a book The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot, is an account of the imprisonment of Kang Chol-Hwan and his family in the Yodok concentration camp in North Korea....
about his time in the camp. The South Korean human rights activist Shin Dong-hyuk
Shin Dong-hyuk (human rights activist)
Shin Dong-hyuk is a North Korean defector living in South Korea. He is the only known person to have escaped from a 'total-control zone' grade concentration camp in North Korea. He has given testimony on his life in Kwan-li-so No...
is the only person known to have escaped from Kaechon Political Prison Camp
Kaechon internment camp
Kaechon internment camp is a labor camp in North Korea for political prisoners. The official name is Kwan-li-so No. 14. It is not to be confused with Kaechon concentration camp Kaechon internment camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a labor camp in North Korea for political...
and gave an account of his time in the camp.
Reeducation camps
The reeducation camps for criminals are run by the interior ministry. There is a fluent passage between common crimes and political crimes, as people who get on the bad side of influential partisans are often denounced on false accusations. They are then forced into false confessions with brutal torture in detention centers (Lee Soon-ok for example had to kneel down whilst being showered with water at icy temperatures with other prisoners, of which six did not survive) and are then condemned in a brief show trial to long-term prison sentence. In North Korea political crimes are greatly varied, from border crossing to any disturbance of the political order, and are rigorously punished. Due to the dire prison conditions with hunger and torture, a large percentage of prisoners do not survive their sentence term.The reeducation camps are large prison building complexes surrounded by high walls. The situation of prisoners is quite similar to that in the political prison camps. They have to perform slave work in prison factories and in case they do not meet the work quota, they are tortured and (at least in Kaechon camp
Kaechon concentration camp
Kaechon concentration camp is a prison in North Korea with many political prisoners. The official name is Kyo-hwa-so No. 1. It is not to be confused with Kaechon internment camp Kaechon concentration camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a prison in North Korea with many...
) confined for many days to special prison cells, too small to stand up or lie full-length in. In distinction from the internment camps for political prisoners, the reeducation camp prisoners are instructed ideologically after work and are forced to memorize speeches of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
and Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
and have to undergo self-criticism rites. Many prison inmates are guilty of common crimes penalized also in other countries, but often they were committed out of economic necessity, e. g. stealing food, smuggling or illegal trade .
There are around 15 – 20 reeducation camps in North Korea.
Two camps are documented with coordinates, satellite images and testimonies of former prisoners.
| Reeducation Camp | Official Name | Size | Prisoners |
| Kaechon Reeducation Camp Kaechon concentration camp Kaechon concentration camp is a prison in North Korea with many political prisoners. The official name is Kyo-hwa-so No. 1. It is not to be confused with Kaechon internment camp Kaechon concentration camp (Hangeul: , also spelled Kae'chŏn or Gaecheon) is a prison in North Korea with many... |
Kyo-hwa-so No. 1 | 300 x 300 m (900 x 900 ft) | 6000 |
| Chongori Reeducation Camp Chongori concentration camp -Location:The camp is located near Chongori , a little village in Musan-ri, Hoeryong county, at the road and railroad almost halfway between Hoeryong and Chongjin, Hamgyŏng-pukto province in North Korea... |
Kyo-hwa-so No. 12 | 150 x 350 m (450 x 1050 ft) | 2000 |
Other camps are documented with short testimonies of former prisoners.
- Kyo-hwa-so No. 3 Sinuiju (ca. 2,500 prisoners) in North Pyongan
- Kyo-hwa-so No. 4 Kangdong (ca. 7,000 prisoners) in South Pyongan
- Kyo-hwa-so No. 8 Yongdam (ca. 3,000 prisoners) in Kangwon
- Kyo-hwa-so No. 22 Oro (ca. 1,000 prisoners) in South Hamgyong
- Kyo-hwa-so No. 77 Danchun (ca. 6,000 prisoners) in South Hamgyong
Further camps are mentioned to be in Jeungsan, Taehŭng and Sŭnghori (already closed).
The South Korean human rights activist Lee Soon-ok
Lee Soon Ok
Lee Soon Ok is a former political prisoner and defector from North Korea. She resides in South Korea.-Imprisonment:For six years, Lee was imprisoned in Kaechon concentration camp where she has reported witnessing forced abortions, infanticide, several instances of rape, public executions, testing...
has written a book (Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman
Eyes of the Tailless Animals: Prison Memoirs of a North Korean Woman recounts the experiences of former North Korean political prison survivor and refugee Soon Ok Lee ....
) about her time in the camp and testified before the US Senate.
Propaganda
North Korean propaganda tactics heavily glorify Kim Jong-Il and his father, who are referred to as the "Dear Leader" and the "Great Leader" respectively. Many North Koreans also believe that Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il "created the world" and can "control the weather"Weather control
Weather control is the act of manipulating or altering certain aspects of the environment to produce desirable changes in weather. Weather control can have the goal of preventing damaging weather, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, from occurring; of causing beneficial weather, such as rainfall in...
. Following the death of Kim Il-Sung, North Koreans were prostrating and crying to a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue of him in an organized event.
Famine and the food distribution system
The state-controlled economy of North KoreaEconomy of North Korea
The economy of North Korea is an industrialized and centrally planned economy.North Korea's economy remains one of the world's last centrally planned systems. The role of market allocation is sharply limited – mainly in the rural sector where some peasants sell produce from small private plots....
, including the food sector, has suffered from severe mismanagement in recent decades. North Korea also experienced severe floods in the mid-1990s, exacerbated by poor land management. A serious famine followed, resulting in the death of around 2,000,000 people.
By 1999, food aid and development aid from other countries had reduced the rate of famine deaths. In the spring of 2005, the World Food Program reported that famine conditions were in imminent danger of returning to North Korea, and the government was reported to have ordered millions of city-dwellers to the countryside to perform farm labour. In 2005, the agricultural situation showed signs of improvement, rising 5.3% to 4.54 million tons; this was largely the result of increased donations of fertilizers from South Korea. However, the World Food Program stated that this was short of the estimated 6 million tons necessary to adequately feed the population. Nevertheless, North Korea called for food aid to cease, and shipments of food to the country ended on December 31 of that year. In the same period, news sources reported that North Korea continued to raise food prices while reducing food rations.
The U.S. State Department claims that North Korea's society is highly stratified by class, according to a citizen's family and political background.
Before the cessation of food shipments at the end of 2005, the World Food Program sought $200 million in emergency food aid for North Korea, an increase from its 2004 request of $171 million. By comparison, its 2002 defense budget was $5,200 million according to the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
World Factbook
The World Factbook
The World Factbook is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official paper copy version is available from the National Technical Information Service and the Government Printing Office...
.
The DPRK Government explained that the country suffered from severe economic hardships starting from the mid-1990s that led to a sharp deterioration of people's health.
International abductions
In the decades after the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
there were reports that North Korea had abducted many foreign nationals, mainly South Koreans and Japanese. For years these were dismissed as conspiracy theories even by many of the regime's critics; however, in September 2002, Kim Jong-Il acknowledged to Japanese Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
the involvement of North Korean "special institutions" in the kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He stated that those responsible had been punished. Five surviving victims were allowed to visit Japan and decided not to return to North Korea. For eight more Japanese abductees, officials claimed deaths caused by accidents or illnesses; Japan says this leaves two still unaccounted for, and says that what the North claimed were the ashes of Megumi Yokota
Megumi Yokota
was one of at least 17 Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was abducted on November 15, 1977 at the age of thirteen and apparently forced to help train North Korean spies to pass as Japanese citizens...
were not hers. In addition, information from American deserter Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins is a former United States Army soldier who lived in North Korea from 1965 to 2004 after deserting his unit and crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone.-Military service and desertion:...
indicates that North Korea kidnapped a Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
woman in 1978.
Despite the admission to Prime Minister Koizumi, the North Korean government continues to deny the kidnappings of other foreign nationals and refuses any cooperation to investigate further cases of suspected abductions. However, officials of the South Korean government claim that 486 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, are believed to have been abducted since the end of the Korean War. Advocates and family members have accused the government of doing little or nothing to gain their freedom.
International reaction
Most countries and multilateral organizations have criticized North Korea for its human rights abuses. In each November since 2005, the UN General Assembly's Third Committee has condemned North Korea for its conduct.A few countries have condemned the allegations made against the DPRK. China's delegation to the United Nations said that the DPRK has made considerable progress in protecting human rights. Sudan said that instead of criticizing the country, there should be support by the international community for DPRK's efforts to protect human rights. Venezuela's delegation to the United Nations asserted that the allegations made by UN observers against the DPRK are based on flawed criteria and are not credible. Cuba's delegation to the United Nations said that the body's claims made against the DPRK are politically motivated and seek to impose isolation and pressure on the country, in violation of the Human Rights Council's stated principles.
The U.S. and Japan have passed laws and created envoys to focus attention to this issue. The U.S. initially passed the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004
Signed into U.S. law by President George W. Bush on October 18, 2004, the North Korean Human Rights Act is intended to make it easier for the United States to assist North Korean refugees by:...
in October of that year, and reauthorized the law in 2008. It created an office at the State Department focused on North Korean human rights, run originally by Special Envoy Jay Lefkowitz
Jay Lefkowitz
Jay Lefkowitz is an Orthodox Jewish American politician and lawyer. He is a senior partner at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, and he also served as President Bush’s Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea.-Career:...
.
Robert Park, a Korean-American Christian missionary from Arizona, illegally entered North Korea on Christmas Day, 2009, with the purpose of drawing attention to North Korea's human rights abuses. He was released on February 6, 2010. Park has remained publicly silent about his time in captivity but it has been reported that he was severely tortured. Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a second American who illegally entered North Korea in January, was imprisoned for 8 months before being freed following a humanitarian visit by former US President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. Gomes, a teacher from Boston, Massachusetts, devout Christian, and associate of Robert Park, was tried by North Korea for his illegal entry, and on April 6, 2010, was sentenced to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 (USD). Later that month he was allowed to speak to his mother by phone. In late June, North Korea responded to international findings that it had deliberately sunk the South Korean patrol boat Cheonan
ROKS Cheonan sinking
The ROKS Cheonan sinking occurred on 26 March 2010, when the Cheonan, a South Korean Navy ship carrying 104 personnel, sank off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen...
in March by publicly threatening to impose on Gomes "harsher punishment" based on "wartime law." Gomes was reported to have attempted suicide in July.
See also
- HanvoiceHanvoiceHanVoice is a Canadian-based human rights organization established in 2007 to assist North Korean refugees. The organization's name is derived from the word "han", which in the Korean language means both "one" and "a sense of deploring, grief, lamentation or heart-burning"...
- Human rights in East AsiaHuman rights in East AsiaThe situation of human rights in East Asia varies between the region's countries, which differ in history and political orientation, as well as between contexts within each country.See the following for more details on each country:* Brunei* Cambodia...
- KotjebiKotjebiKotjebi or kotchebi is a Korean term denoting North Korean homeless children. The term literally means "fluttering swallows", given because of the kotjebi's constant search for food and shelter...
- North Korea UncoveredNorth Korea UncoveredNorth Korea Uncovered is a comprehensive set of mappings of North Korea. It includes in-depth coverage of thousands of buildings, monuments, missile-storage facilities, mass graves, secret labour camps, palaces, restaurants, tourist sites, and main roads of the country, and even includes the...
- Politics in North Korea
- Korean War POWs detained in North KoreaKorean War POWs detained in North Korea"Korean War POWs Detained in North Korea" refer to the tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers who were captured by the North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War but were not returned during the prisoner exchanges under the 1953 Armistice Agreement...
- Chosun JournalChosun JournalThe Chosun Journal is an independent, non-profit website that networks communities for human rights in North Korea. It was started in February 2001 and purports to be North Korea's first virtual holocaust museum set in real-time....
External links
- The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps
- North Korea Freedom Coalition
- Final Report of Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea
- Human Rights Watch -- list of DPRK human rights abuse articles and studies.
- Abraham318.com, Many waters(voices) for North Korea Human rights
- Chosun Journal
- Official materials related to the North Korean Human Rights Act
- Liberty in North Korea
- U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
- Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights (in Korean and English)
- North Korea Freedom House
- Chronology of reported anti-government resistance
- North Korea Uncovered - An extensive mapping of North Korea’s economic, cultural, political, and military infrastructures, featured in the Wall Street Journal.
- Google earth images of the North Korean concentration camps at Camp 22, with accounts of the atrocities alleged to occur there, and Camp 16, with a report of a December 2006 mass escape by 120 prisoners.
- Archive of North Korea coverage at the International Freedom of Expression ExchangeInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
. - AHRC's documents on consecutive solitary confinement, torture and national security law in south Korea
- North Korea Uncovered, (North Korea Google Earth), a comprehensive mapping of North Korea on Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
, including many of the alleged camps from "The Hidden Gulag" - "Seoul Train" by Jim Butterworth, Lisa Sleeth and Aaron Lubarsky, 2004 PBS documentary, at Independent LensIndependent LensAiring weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
PBS website. ("Seoul Train" at Global VoicesGlobal VoicesThe phrase Global Voices might refer to:* Global Voices Online, a blog with more than 100 contributors that reports on what is going on in the blogospheres of every corner of world...
PBS website) - Escaping North Korea by Tom O'Neill. National Geographic, February 2009
- North Korean public execution video
Web Logs
- One Free Korea: Updated daily; focusing on human rights, political, economic, and military issues, often with Google-Earth tours of North Korea's most secret places
- RU NK: Focusing primarily on human rights issues, by a member of Liberty in North KoreaLiberty in North KoreaLiberty in North Korea is a grassroots organization in North America working full-time on the North Korean human rights issue. LiNK is headquartered in Torrance, California, USA with affiliates and chapters all over the world.-Mission:...
- Daily NK run by the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, includes reports citing informers inside North Korea
- NK Zone: Includes a variety of perspectives, with a greater focus on cultural and economic issues
- Concentrations of Inhumanity, report by Freedom HouseFreedom HouseFreedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
on the political penal labor camps system in North Korea. May 2007.
U.S. State Department Annual Reports