[Editorial] A new chapter in approaching human rights in North Korea

Posted on : 2014-02-19 15:42 KST Modified on : 2014-02-19 15:42 KST

With the release of the 372-page human rights report on Feb. 17 by the UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korean human rights under the UN Human Rights Council, a new chapter has begun in way that the international community approaches the issue of human rights in North Korea. We hope that North Korea will acknowledge its human rights issues and accept the demands of the international community.

In general, the report makes two major points. The first is that severe crimes against humanity have been committed on an organized and wide-ranging basis in line with the policies and decisions of the highest echelons of North Korea‘s leadership. The human rights violations against inmates at political concentration camps, religious figures, opponents of the regime, and attempted refugees fall into this category.

The second point that the report makes is that the international community must act on its responsibility to protect (R2P) the people of North Korea. One way to do this, the report recommends, is for the UN Security Council to try the North Korean government at the International Criminal Court (ICC) or at a temporary UN tribunal and punish those responsible.

The responsibility to protect was accepted as an international standard through a resolution in the UN General Assembly in 2005 and was confirmed by the UN Security Council in 2006. It was applied for the first time in 2011 to protect the people of Libya from being slaughtered by the country’s then-president Muammar Gaddafi.

Today, as in the past, North Korea refuses to acknowledge its human rights abuses. Once again, North Korea has said it will “respond sternly to pressure and attempts to change its regime using the pretext of protecting human rights.”

In addition, a trial at the International Criminal Court or a temporary tribunal cannot take place without the agreement of China and Russia, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council. In other words, there is no immediate way to implement the recommendations of the report.

Nevertheless, the report is meaningful in the sense that it sets standards by which the international community can evaluate the human rights situation in North Korea and determine who is responsible.

The only way for North Korea to free itself of the stigma of being the world’s worst human rights abuser is by changing its flawed system and practices. This would involve following the report’s recommendations to close the political concentration camps, stop discriminating based on family ancestry, end surveillance of citizens, guarantee the freedom of movement, and protect refugees.

The more that North Korea rejects these demands, the greater pressure it will face from the international community. If North Korea is unable to implement these demands itself, there is no reason for it to avoid asking the international community for assistance. To be sure, it is not easy for North Korea by itself to guarantee its citizens’ right to eat.

The South Korean government must cooperate with North Korea so that it can adopt measures for actually improving human rights conditions. Considering that North Korea’s greatest concern is insecurity about its regime, the initial priority should be placed on expanding humanitarian aid, along with exchange and cooperation in the private sector.

After progress has been achieved in inter-Korean relations, it will be possible to set up a joint committee to discuss human rights issues. Needless to say, the most important thing of all is for North Korea to have a forward-looking attitude.

 

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