Overview of Human Rights in North Korea
What is the human rights situation like in North Korea?
With human rights violations so common under the regime, it's hard to know where to begin to describe the human rights situation. In short, the North Korean regime routinely violates with impunity almost every right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It is estimated that up to 200,000 citizens are locked up as political prisoners within sprawling political prison camps. The regime is known to punish up to three generations of a family by imprisonment in these camps because of the 'crimes' of family members. The camps are known to use torture, execution, food restrictions, and failure to allow access to medical facilities to punish inmates.
Citizens are deprived of freedom of speech, belief, movement, and assembly. Citizens are also deprived of the right to life, right to vote, right to health, and so on. It would be hard to find a country on earth which routinely violates human rights in such a manner as the North Korean regime.
Below are some examples of the violations of human rights:
Right to Life
The regime has been known to use public executions as a means of punishment. In response to international criticism, the regime started executing people secretly. Depriving citizens of life can be in response to the most trivial of crimes. It is known that citizens have been executed for illegally crossing the border into China.
Religious Freedom
Although there are state-sanctioned churches within the country, these are little more than showcases. It is widely known that religious believers are routinely imprisoned, persecuted, and have been executed for their beliefs. Religious freedom does not exist in any meaningful manner.
Freedom of Movement
For large parts of the history of North Korea, movement of citizens has been extremely restricted. Legally, in order to travel to other parts of the country, citizens require permission from the state. Imagine not being able to travel to London, Paris, Brussels, and so on without permission from your government. Can't imagine it? That's the reality in North Korea.
Even worse is the treatment of those who leave the country illegally. In order to leave the country, citizens must have obtained permission from the state. If citizens are caught leaving the country without permission, they are imprisoned and, on occasion, executed. China has an agreement to forcibly repatriate any non-legal North Koreans. These North Koreans are in danger of being deprived of liberty and life should they be returned. The regime has known to kill any babies created from unions between North Koreans and Chinese after repatriation.
Right to Political Participation and Vote
Elections may occur in North Korea, but they are little more than rubber-stamping exercises. There is only one winner in elections and no true opposition to the current elite exists.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
Social organisations and labor organisations are only permitted if they are permitted by the state. As a result, any person caught violating the control of the state is treated harshly, including execution. On occasions when citizens have tried to start anti-state organisations or related organisations, the state deals with citizens harshly. There have been examples of executions of people caught involved in such activities.
Property Rights
Individuals are not permitted to own property at all within the country. All property de facto belongs to the state.
Right to Education
Because of the regime's songbun policy, only children of the elite are realistically accepted to universities in the country. The background of individuals have repeatedly stopped citizens from entering universities regardless of ability.
Economic Rights
Although markets are tolerated by the regime because of the break down of the Public Distribution System in the mid-1990s, a system which provided citizens with food and other necessities, true economic entrepreneurism is repeatedly restricted by policies which deliberately keep citizens poor.
Right to Food
When the Public Distribution system failed in the mid-1990s, citizens were left to fend for themselves. Poor agricultural practices, dreadful economic planning, and adverse weather conditions meant there was a massive famine. This famine is suspected of killing up to 1 million citizens. Although the country was able to somewhat recover from the famine, food insecurity remains to be a problem.
Right to Health
As regime-run hospitals are almost exclusively the only way to receive medical treatment, the poverty of the regime means that citizens frequently have to go without treatment or medication. This lack of effective management of medical facilities means that citizens have died and are continuing to die because of the lack of medical supplies.
Right to Information
Citizens are legally only allowed access to information permitted by the regime. Viewing or listening to foreign broadcasts is illegal. Unfortunately, foreign media is the only way that citizens have access to information about the outside world. Anyone caught with foreign media faces time in a prison camp.
Is there reason for hope?
Yes! Although the regime has refused to change and still commits crimes against humanity, the country is changing from beneath. Grassroots markets are spreading throughout North Korea which is improving the lot of citizens. At the same time, information is flowing over the Chinese border into the country. Although the regime is extremely repressive, citizens are being exposed to the opportunities that increasing prosperity bring and the reality of the outside world. These two factors give all those who care about the human rights situation hope for the future of North Korea and for the humanitarian conditions within the country.