Human Rights Watch welcomes the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)’s acceptance of recommendations to allow international aid into the country and strengthen measures to ensure access to food and healthcare services. We remain deeply concerned about the DPRK´s increasing isolation and repression and worsening humanitarian crisis following its last UPR cycle. Since then, DPRK authorities have reinforced a system of rule by fear, with heightened control over its population by restricting freedom of expression and movement, access to information, and work. Because of government restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic, many people in the country have also struggled to earn a living and access food and medicine.
We regret the DPRK´s rejection of all recommendations related to the landmark 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry report, which found widespread and systematic violations constituting crimes against humanity, as well as the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the DPRK, the UN Convention against Torture, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
North Korea also rejected recommendations related to requests for information about people forcible disappeared in its territory, as well as those in political prison camps, and those forcibly repatriated, abducted, detained, or separated from their families.
We regret that the DPRK did not support recommendations calling for an end to executions and instead passed new laws in 2020 punishing emergency health quarantine violations or distribution of unsanctioned foreign media content, with the death penalty.
Human Rights Watch urges the DPRK to fulfill its international human rights obligations, including by immediately allowing access to all international aid into the country. The Council should continue to hold North Korea accountable and support civil society groups abroad assisting victims of its abuses.
Thank you.
