State authorities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continue to commit crimes against humanity.

BACKGROUND:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, is one of the most authoritarian and repressive countries in the world, severely restricting universal human rights in a widespread manner. In a landmark report issued in February 2014, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC)-mandated Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the DPRK established responsibility at the highest level of government for ongoing crimes against humanity.

The CoI’s report detailed harrowing abuses committed by the DPRK government, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other forms of sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, forcible transfer of populations and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation. Detentions, executions and disappearances are characterized by centralized coordination between different parts of the extensive security system, which includes labor camps, political prisons and other detention centers. The CoI reported that the government targets those considered to be “politically suspect,” including non-nationals who are labeled as “hostile.” Persons accused of political crimes have been subject to abduction, enforced disappearance and execution without trial.

In January 2023 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) found that serious human rights violations and possible international crimes, including abductions and enforced disappearances, overseas forced labor and sexual and gender-based violence, continue to occur. The UN Secretary-General has also documented pervasive torture and forced labor among the country’s large detainee population.

For decades the DPRK government has attempted to insulate itself from international engagement and scrutiny. The government has refused to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and offices, including the OHCHR office in Seoul and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK. Prolonged isolationist measures and the alleged diversion of aid have severely restricted access to food, medicine, healthcare and livelihoods. The DPRK government has further entrenched its policy of isolation, closing international borders and enforcing repressive and unnecessary restrictions on basic freedoms since 2020 under the pretext of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Since the partial reopening of the DPRK’s borders on 26 August 2023, Chinese authorities have reportedly forcibly returned more than 670 people. As highlighted by the CoI, China considers border-crossers to be illegal “economic migrants” and does not allow them to seek asylum, defying its commitments under international refugee law. A group of UN experts have called on China to respect the principle of non-refoulement.

In response to the CoI’s findings, in December 2014 the human rights situation in the DPRK was added as an item on the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) agenda. Prior to that, the UNSC engaged with the DPRK almost exclusively in the context of nuclear non-proliferation and had never directly addressed ongoing human rights abuses. Despite the Council holding several meetings on this agenda item, there have yet to be any tangible outcomes.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

On 28 March Russia vetoed a resolution which would have renewed the UNSC-mandated Panel of Experts (PoE) assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. The PoE halted their work when the mandate expired on 30 April. Satellite images included in the PoE’s final report provided credible evidence of the transfer of goods and materials between the DPRK and Russia over the past year, in direct violation of several UNSC resolutions that prohibit DPRK from exporting or importing arms. Russia and North Korea subsequently signed a mutual defense pact in June, which commits Russia and North Korea to defend each other against invasions. In October 2024 the DPRK reportedly sent over 10,000 troops, including officers and generals, to bolster Russia’s ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.

On the 10th anniversary of the CoI report, the HRC adopted a resolution by consensus in March 2024, mandating the High Commissioner to submit at the 60th session a comprehensive update on the human rights situation in the DPRK since 2014 and to take stock of the implementation of the CoI’s recommendations. The resolution increased resources for OHCHR’s office in Seoul and stressed the link between the weapons program, international peace and security and human rights.

On 16 July OHCHR published a new report, concluding that forced labor is institutionalized in the DPRK and may constitute the crime against humanity of enslavement. During a UNSC open briefing on the human rights situation in the DPRK on 12 June, several states highlighted how North Korea’s use of forced labor and commission of other human rights violations have serious implications for international peace and security, including enabling the government to advance its unlawful nuclear and missile development programs.

ANALYSIS:

Despite international engagements focused on denuclearization and other security issues, the human rights and humanitarian situation in the DPRK has largely been neglected. Nevertheless, the country’s human rights record is intimately linked to its weapons development program, which benefits from forced labor, contributes to widespread poverty and hunger through unequal resource distribution and enhances the government’s capacity to repress dissent without fear of international response or intervention. The DPRK’s role in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is underpinned by its robust forced labor system and other human rights violations, many of which amount to crimes against humanity. The DPRK government’s policy of forced military conscription, which in some instances may amount to slavery under international law, means that many North Korean soldiers may be unwittingly abetting and/or perpetrating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. By prioritizing its illicit nuclear and missile programs over the welfare of its people, the DPRK government has heightened risks to international peace and security.

The repression of civil society and independent media, as well as the absence of free elections or political space for open debate, is intended to perpetually silence criticism of the authorities and diminish opportunities for the review and reform of the DPRK’s human rights practices. The PoE provided independent and effective monitoring of sanctions violations, which could be linked to the ongoing commission of crimes against humanity in the DPRK.

The forced repatriation of refugees and asylum seekers by neighboring states has left these populations at grave risk of internment, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, enforced disappearance or execution.

RISK ASSESSMENT:

• • Authoritarian government and the absence of any checks on the power of the DPRK leadership.
  • Impunity for past and ongoing atrocity crimes enjoyed by the DPRK government.
  • Record of serious violations of International Human Rights Law and customary international law.
  • Economic instability, poverty and famine, all of which are exacerbated by government policies.
  • Significant capacity to commit atrocities, especially against detainees, women, persons with disabilities and children.

NECESSARY ACTION:

The DPRK authorities must allow for the return of international humanitarian organizations and guarantee rapid and unhindered access to vulnerable populations. Neighboring states have a responsibility under international law to provide safe passage out of the DPRK for civilians at risk of human rights violations and likely international crimes and must strictly adhere to the principle of non-refoulement. The Chinese government should permit the UN Refugee Agency access to all detained North Korean refugees.

The international community’s legitimate pursuit of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula should not overshadow the need to uphold the universal human rights of all Koreans. Any negotiations on rapprochement with the DPRK should aim to address ongoing human rights violations and abuses. The DPRK government should fully cooperate with OHCHR and allow entry to the Special Rapporteur.

UNSC members should act on the recommendations made by the CoI and other relevant human rights mechanisms and offices, including by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court and imposing targeted sanctions against those responsible for or complicit in crimes against humanity, regardless of the position of the alleged perpetrator.