Government Publishes 'Public Release' for Second Year
Collected Testimonies More Than Double...Improved Timeliness
First Inclusion of Public Execution Cases for Information Control
Forced Repatriation by China, Foreign Currency-Earning Worker Enslavement, etc.
In September 2018, North Korean women dressed in hanbok participated in the "International March for Peace, Prosperity, and Reunification of Korea" held on the outskirts of Pyongyang. [Image source=AFP·Getty image]
"It happened while I was detained after being forcibly repatriated. A fellow inmate came into the cell crying around 1 a.m. Then he told me, 'The secretary is looking for you, so go to the men's staff locker room.' In that locker room, I was also raped." (2014 Defector, Female)
"In 2022, I witnessed a public execution at a mine in Hwanghae-namdo. It was a 22-year-old farm worker. A person who appeared to be a judge recited that he was arrested for watching 70 songs and 3 movies from the puppet regime. It was also revealed that he distributed them to 7 people." (2023 Defector, Male)
"In 2021, the party organization secretary and the people's committee chairman were publicly shot without trial for violating the 'Emergency Epidemic Prevention Law.' They were executed because they allowed residents in quarantine facilities to take a bath, which was deemed a violation of emergency epidemic prevention measures." (2021 Defector, Male)
Kim Seon-jin, Director of the North Korean Human Rights Records Center at the Ministry of Unification, is explaining the '2024 North Korean Human Rights Report' at a briefing held on the 27th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The government has publicly released the 'North Korean Human Rights Report' for the second time following last year. The report collected cases of human rights violations against women and children during forced repatriation, as well as brutal public executions carried out by the North Korean regime for reasons such as watching or distributing South Korean dramas.
On the 27th, the Ministry of Unification announced the public release of the '2024 North Korean Human Rights Report.' The biggest change is the 'table of contents structure.' Unlike last year's flat structure, this time the report prioritizes the government's North Korean human rights promotion policies, followed by key issues such as ▲information control ▲forced repatriation ▲overseas dispatched workers ▲COVID-19. Kim Seon-jin, director of the North Korean Human Rights Record Center, emphasized, "This report is a result that reflects the government's will to widely inform domestic and international audiences about the reality of human rights abuses by North Korean authorities."
The government specifically investigated human rights violations under the so-called 'three major evil laws'?the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Elimination Law, the Youth Education Guarantee Law, and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Law?to understand how the Kim Jong-un regime controls its residents. During this process, cases of forced execution for watching or distributing South Korean dramas, movies, and music were collected and recorded. These had previously only been cited in hearsay form through non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This is the first time the government has investigated and publicly disclosed such forced execution cases.
Forced Repatriation Routes of North Korean Defectors in China and Main Security Agency Locations by Region. [Image Source=2024 North Korean Human Rights Report]
The cases investigated by the government clearly reveal the severity of the North Korean authorities' 'control practices.' Examples defined as 'reactionary thought and cultural acts' include ▲the groom carrying the bride at a wedding ▲the bride wearing a white dress ▲wearing sunglasses ▲drinking wine from a wine glass ▲writing the surname as 'Lee' instead of 'Ri.' These evil laws impose punishments up to the death penalty based on arbitrary criteria of 'seriousness of the matter.'
The issue of 'forced repatriation of defectors' continuing from China since last year was also addressed. Based on numerous testimonies, the government identified major repatriation routes and prepared visual materials showing the paths defectors caught by Chinese public security go through at border posts before being sent back. Most importantly, attention was paid to human rights violations against women during this repatriation process. Specific testimonies include cases of sexual violence by border guards, body cavity searches (uterine examinations), forced abortions, and infanticide.
A scene from the video report produced by the Ministry of Unification to mark the publication of the 2024 North Korean Human Rights Report. It includes a speech by Oh Joon, then Ambassador to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council on North Korean human rights issues in December 2014. [Image source=Ministry of Unification YouTube]
The report contains a total of 317 testimonies, more than double last year's 154. With more detailed and diverse testimonies, it is expected to enhance the conveyance of North Korean human rights violation cases. Director Kim Seon-jin explained, "This year's report involved review participation not only from related agencies and experts but also from NGOs related to North Korean human rights to ensure professionalism and timeliness. Considering demands from various sectors, both a comprehensive report and a summary report were published, and a video report was newly produced to increase public outreach."
The Ministry of Unification plans to release an approximately 4-minute 'video report' on its website and YouTube. The beginning and end of the video feature remarks by former UN Ambassador Oh Joon. In December 2014, he made a significant impact on the international community by stating at the UN Security Council, "For South Koreans, people in North Korea are NOT JUST ANYBODIES." The narration in the video is provided by actor Yoo Ji-tae, who was appointed as the North Korean Human Rights Ambassador on that day.
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