A North Korean human rights report depicting the horrific human rights realities in North Korea, including the execution of a pregnant woman for watching a Korean drama and pointing at a portrait of Kim Il-sung with a finger, has been published for the first time. The Ministry of Unification's stance, which previously stated that "the development of inter-Korean relations and human rights issues must be judged comprehensively," has changed to "the harsh realities of North Korean human rights must be disclosed without distortion." This clearly shows the new government's change in attitude toward North Korean human rights. However, the opposition parties are cautious about the atmosphere flowing toward a 'strong against strong' confrontation.
Forced Abortions of Female Prisoners and Death Sentences for Children... The Horrific Reality of North Korean Human Rights
On the 30th, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se attended a North Korean human rights exhibition held at the National Assembly and stated, "It is important to accurately inform the public of the horrific realities of North Korean human rights without any distortion." On the 31st, the Ministry of Unification publicly released the North Korean human rights report for the first time and announced through a spokesperson briefing that "various promotional contents related to the government’s North Korean human rights report will be produced."
The North Korean human rights report released that day was primarily based on testimonies from 508 North Korean defectors since 2017. The report revealed that, concerning civil and political rights, widespread executions are carried out in North Korea for activities such as distributing South Korean video content or religious practices. It also stated that various forms of torture are inflicted during prisoner interrogations, and many public executions are conducted. Human rights violations against vulnerable groups such as women and children were also severe. Many women experience human trafficking during the defection process, and if arrested by Chinese authorities and forcibly repatriated to North Korea, they suffer various human rights abuses in detention facilities, including nudity and cavity searches, sexual violence, and forced abortions. Children are sentenced to death in public trials and publicly executed, and students are mobilized by schools for various types of labor.
Until the previous administration, the Ministry of Unification viewed testimonies from defectors as "requiring verification." Former Unification Minister Lee In-young, in a February 2021 press conference with foreign journalists, explained the reason for not releasing the North Korean human rights report by saying, "There is a lack of process to verify whether the records of North Korean human rights are factual or merely one-sided statements from defectors." He was later sued for defamation by defectors due to this remark.
In November of the same year, regarding the government's participation as a co-sponsor of the UN North Korean human rights resolution, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly stated, "We must comprehensively judge and respond to (North Korean) human rights issues along with the development of inter-Korean relations and peace promotion." However, the government eventually withdrew from the co-sponsorship that year, and the return to co-sponsorship only occurred under the current administration.
Strong Against Strong Confrontation with North Korea... Opposition Voices Concerns
Unlike the Moon Jae-in administration, which refrained from raising a strong voice on human rights due to the special nature of inter-Korean relations, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is expected to pressure North Korea on human rights issues. While receiving a report related to the North Korean human rights report, President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed, "From now on, stop all aid to North Korea, and make it clear that not a single won will be given while North Korea pursues nuclear development," indicating that a 'strong against strong' phase will unfold in terms of human rights as well.
However, if this happens, the deterioration of inter-Korean relations triggered by the North Korean nuclear threat could worsen further. Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won expressed concern on YTN Radio, saying, "Right now, Kim Jong-un (General Secretary of the Workers' Party) would say he will not accept even a single won from South Korea. So if the leaders of both Koreas say they will neither give nor receive a single won, then the strong-against-strong confrontation is proceeding well. What do you think the result will be?"
He added, "Human rights for people include basic rights and social rights. Basic rights mean that when a person is born, they need to eat to live and receive medical treatment when sick," and said, "Since North Korea has not yet achieved these basic human rights, in that sense, we must continue humanitarian aid for North Korea's difficulties."
Jeong Se-hyun, former Unification Minister and Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council during the Moon Jae-in administration, also criticized President Yoon's remarks on the 30th on the YouTube program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "If things continue like this, there is a possibility that international aid to North Korea will begin due to food shortages, and at that time, we may not be able to avoid providing aid from a humanitarian perspective."
On the other hand, Tae Yong-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker and defector from North Korea, positively evaluated the situation on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon,' saying, "Humanitarian and human rights issues are universal values and standards, and North Korea is also a member state of the UN," adding, "Even if the government’s stance changes in the future, if it consistently addresses North Korean human rights issues, North Korea will eventually have to accept it."
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