North Korea

Human Rights in North Korea

The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in December 2011 and the ascension of his son, Kim Jong-Un, as new paramount leader, has had little discernable effect on North Korea’s severe and unrelenting violation of human rights. The government sends those accused of political offenses to forced labor camps called gwalliso, where conditions are horrific and torture and mistreatment common, and imposes collective punishment against families of perceived offenders. Even as North Koreans faced famine in 2011, the government maintained its ‘military first’ policy on food distribution unabated. Freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly are non-existent.

© 2010 William Cornforth/Human Rights Watch

North Korea: Economic System Built on Forced Labor

The North Korean government continues to require forced, uncompensated labor from workers, including even schoolchildren and university students.

Joint ICNK statement regarding UN Special Rapporteur's call to consider inquiry into human rights violations in DPRK

Oct 19, 2012
North Korea: Economic System Built on Forced Labor

Jun 13, 2012
Europe: Press for Commission of Inquiry on North Korea

Jun 5, 2012
North Korea: International Investigation into Enforced Disappearances Needed

Apr 5, 2012

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World Report 2012: North Korea

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Reports

Denied Status, Denied Education

Children of North Korean Women in China
The US-Korea Free Trade Agreement

Annex 22-B: A Missed Opportunity on Workers’ Rights in North Korea
North Korea: Harsher Policies against Border-Crossers

North Korea

Joint ICNK statement regarding UN Special Rapporteur's call to consider inquiry into human rights violations in DPRK

Oct 19, 2012

The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) welcomes the latest report to the United Nations General Assembly by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Marzuki Darusman, released in New York on 3 October 2012.
The Problem of North Korean Refugees in China and Possible Solutions

Jul 19, 2012

Conducting research on human rights violations in North Korea for organizations like Human Rights Watch is a consistent challenge to gain access to North Korean refugees in a way that comports with our methodology while also ensuring refugees are protected. North Koreans who have fled their country are literally a moving target – not just for human rights groups like us, who wish them well and want to help them tell their story, but also for many others who wish to arrest them and/or profit from them.
North Korea: Economic System Built on Forced Labor

Jun 13, 2012

The North Korean government continues to require forced, uncompensated labor from workers, including even schoolchildren and university students.
Europe: Press for Commission of Inquiry on North Korea

Jun 5, 2012

A delegation representing the International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) will travel to Europe beginning on June 7, 2012, to urge European governments and the European Union to support the establishment of a United Nations Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity in North Korea.
North Korea: International Investigation into Enforced Disappearances Needed

Apr 5, 2012
The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea Submits Petition to United Nations to End Kwan-Li-So (Gulag System)

Apr 3, 2012
UN Human Rights Council: North Korea Condemnation Goes Unopposed

Mar 23, 2012

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea signaled both the gravity of the abuses and the need for the new president, Kim Jong-un, to make major reforms.
The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea Condemns China’s Expulsion of North Korean Refugees

Mar 14, 2012

The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), consisting over 40 prominent human rights organizations and activists, today condemned the recent expulsion and forced repatriation of at least 41 North Korean refugees by the People’s Republic of China.
Interactive Dialogue with Marzuki Darusman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Mar 12, 2012

Mr. President, we would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for his report on the DPRK and call for the extension of the mandate.
Statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a mandate extension for the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Mar 12, 2012

Recently there was a leadership change in Pyongyang which saw the ascension of Kim Jong Un. Yet human rights abuses continue to be systematic and pervasive, making North Korea one of the worst rights abusing governments in the world.

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