UN: North Korea is increasing repression as people are reportedly starving in parts of the country

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The repression of human rights in North Korea is escalating, and there are reports of increased desperation and starvation in parts of the country due to worsening economic conditions, stated the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk. Speaking at the first U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korean human rights since 2017, Türk outlined the ongoing hardships faced by the country’s populace.

He highlighted that desperation is growing among the citizens as informal markets and other survival mechanisms are being dismantled. Meanwhile, fears of state surveillance, arrest, interrogation, and detention have risen. Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, closed the nation’s borders to contain COVID-19. However, as the pandemic subsides, Türk indicated that governmental restrictions have intensified, with almost all foreigners, including U.N. staff, prohibited from entering the country.

Türk further explained the growing repression, including harsh prison sentences for those caught viewing or distributing foreign information, particularly from South Korea. On the economic side, the government has suppressed markets and private income-generating means, leading to severe hunger and shortages of essential items like medication.

Many of the human rights abuses are connected to, or support, the country’s militarization, according to Türk. This includes forced labor supporting the military and weapons development. Elizabeth Salmón, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in North Korea, supported Türk’s statements, adding that people are dying from malnutrition, diseases, and lack of healthcare.

Salmón also commented on the ongoing militarization and North Korea’s “Military First” policy, which diverts resources away from the people towards nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. and North Korea remain technically at war since the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, a situation that Salmón said is being exploited to justify continued militarization.

Although the Security Council took no action, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield read a statement representing 52 countries, condemning North Korea’s cruel and repressive actions linked to their weapons programs. The nations urged awareness of the connection between North Korea’s human rights situation and global peace and security and demanded accountability from the DPRK government.

North Korea dismissed the meeting as a scheme to further U.S. geopolitical goals, while allies China and Russia opposed it, claiming that the human rights issue in North Korea does not threaten international peace and security. However, Thomas-Greenfield stressed that North Korea’s repression, powered by its “war machine,” is undeniably a matter of international peace and security, justifying the long-awaited meeting requested by the U.S., Japan, and Albania.

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