Human rights in North Korea 1565499 225506856 2008-07-14T01:34:41Z 86.143.191.51 /* Freedom of the press */ {{Refimprove|date=August 2007}} {{Politics of North Korea}} The '''human rights record of [[North Korea]]''' is extremely difficult to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do. Aid workers are subject to considerable scrutiny and excluded from places and regions the government does not wish them to enter. Since citizens cannot freely leave the country, it is mainly from stories of refugees and defectors that the nation's human rights record has been constructed. The government's position, expressed through the [[Korean Central News Agency]], is that North Korea has no human rights issue, because its socialist system was chosen by the people and serves them faithfully. While it is difficult to piece together a clear picture of the situation within the country, it is overwhelmingly clear that the government of North Korea [[Totalitarianism|controls virtually all activities]] within the nation. Citizens are not allowed to [[freedom of speech|freely speak their minds]] and the government detains those who criticize the regime. The only radio, television, and news organizations that are deemed legal are those operated by the government. The media universally praise the administration of [[Kim Jong-Il]], who remains the unelected leader of the country. A number of human rights organizations and governments have condemned North Korea's human rights record, including [[Amnesty International]] and the [[United Nations]]. In its 2006 country report on North Korea, [[Freedom House]] stated that, "North Korea is a totalitarian dictatorship and one of the most restrictive countries in the world. Every aspect of social, political, and economic life is tightly controlled by the state. The regime denies North Koreans all basic rights, subjects tens of thousands of political prisoners to brutal conditions, and maintains a largely isolationist foreign policy." North Korea received Freedom House's lowest ratings in both civil liberties and political rights, categorizing it as "Not Free".<ref>{{cite web | title=North Korea (2006) | work=Freedom in the World 2006, [[Freedom House]] | url=http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6993 | accessmonthday=February 13 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> In 2004, the [[United States]] passed the [[North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004]], which censured North Korea and outlined steps the United States should take to promote democracy and freedom in North Korea. With the exception of the international abductions issue, which it says has been fully resolved, North Korea strongly denies all reports of human rights violations and accuses the defectors of lying and promoting a pro-US agenda. ==Civil liberties== The [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] has officially acknowledged the widespread human rights violations that regularly occur in North Korea. The following section is a direct quote from the United Nation's Human Rights Resolution 2005/11 referring specifically to occurrences in North Korea: ::''Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, public executions, extra judicial and arbitrary detention, the absence of due process and the rule of law, imposition of the death penalty for political reasons, the existence of a large number of prison camps and the extensive use of forced labour;'' ::''Sanctions on citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea who have been repatriated from abroad, such as treating their departure as treason leading to punishments of internment, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or the death penalty;'' ::''All-pervasive and severe restrictions on the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association and on access of everyone to information, and limitations imposed on every person who wishes to move freely within the country and travel abroad;'' ::''Continued violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, in particular the trafficking of women for prostitution or forced marriage, ethnically motivated forced abortions, including by labour inducing injection or natural delivery, as well as infanticide of children of repatriated mothers, including in police detention centres and labour training camps;''<ref>{{cite web |url = http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:uHMc-7X72WEJ:ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/CHR/resolutions/E-CN_4-RES-2005-11.doc+United+Nations+Human+Rights+Resolution+2005/11&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=nz&client=firefox-a |title = html version of the file http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/CHR/resolutions/E-CN_4-RES-2005-11.doc |accessdate = 2007-11-03 |author = UN Commission on Human Rights |date = 2005-04-14 |work = Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: Human Rights Resolution 2005/11 }}</ref> ===Freedom of expression=== The constitution has clauses guaranteeing the freedoms of speech and assembly.<ref>{{cite web | title=DPRK's Constitution (Full Text)| work=NovexCn.com| url=http://www.novexcn.com/dprk_constitution_98.html| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> In practice other clauses take precedence, including the requirement that citizens follow a [[Socialism|socialist]] way of life. Criticism of the government and its leaders is strictly curtailed and making such statements can be cause for arrest and consignment to one of North Korea's [[Brainwashing|"re-education" camps.]] The government distributes all radio and television sets; citizens are forbidden to alter them to make it possible to receive broadcasts from other nations, and doing so carries draconian penalties. There are numerous civic organizations but all of them appear to be operated by the government. All routinely praise the government and perpetuate the [[personality cult]]s of [[Kim Jong-il]] and his deceased father [[Kim Il-sung]]. Defectors indicate that the promotion of the cult of personality is one of the primary functions of almost all films, plays, and books produced within the country. ===Freedom of religion=== {{main|Freedom of religion in North Korea}} Though the government officially estimates that there are 10,000 [[Protestants]], 100,000 [[Buddhists]], and 4,000 [[Catholics]] worshipping at 500 churches, it is unknown if there are any Catholic priests in the country and some reports indicate that the religious organizations that do exist are primarily meant to facilitate interaction with other nations. It is known that in China near the border with North Korea, a number of Christian organizations have been active, helping refugees and, by many reports, smuggling in [[Bibles]] and other religious material. The government was concerned that faith-based [[South Korean]] relief and refugee assistance efforts along the northeast border of China had both humanitarian and political goals, including overthrow of the regime. Defectors cite instances of execution of individuals involved with the Bible smuggling.<ref>{{cite web | title=New Reports Tell of Executions, Torture of Christians in North Korea | work=Christian Today | url=http://www.christiantoday.com/news/missions/new.reports.tell.of.executions.torture.of.christians.in.north.korea/558.htm | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> It is also claimed that North Korean refugees who convert to Christianity in China, and then are later forcibly repatriated into North Korea by Chinese authorities, are routinely sent to prison camps or executed.<ref>{{cite web | title=Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: International Religious Freedom Report 2004 | work=U.S. Department of State |author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35402.htm| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title="Promoting Religious Freedom in North Korea": Dr. Sang-Chul Kim Prepared Testimony | work=United States Commission on International Religious Freedom | url=http://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/2002/january/01242002_sangchul_pt.html| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> There are actually four churches in Pyongyang -- two Christian protestant churches{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, a Catholic church, and a Russian Orthodox church. However, it has been claimed by high-profile North Korean defectors that these churches are façades filled with government workers, and used to convince foreign aid workers and tourists in Pyongyang that North Korea is a free society. ===Freedom of movement=== Usually citizens cannot freely travel around the country or go abroad. Only the political élite may own vehicles and the government limits access to fuel and other forms of transportation. (Satellite photos of North Korea show an almost complete lack of vehicles on the roads.) Forced resettlement of citizens and families, especially as punishment for political reasons, is said to be routine.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41646.htm |title = Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of |accessdate = 2007-11-03 |author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |date = 2005-02-28 |publisher = US Department of State }}</ref> Only the most politically reliable and healthiest citizens are allowed to live in [[Pyongyang]]. Those who are suspected of [[sedition]], or have family members suspected of it, are removed from the city; similar conditions affect those who are physically or mentally disabled in some way. This can be a significant method of coercion as food and housing are said to be much better in the capital city. ===Freedom of the press=== North Korea is currently second to last (in front of [[Eritrea]]) on the World Press Freedom Index published by [[Reporters Without Borders]].<ref name="rwb">{{cite web | title=North Korea - Annual report 2005 | work= Reporters Without Borders | url=http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13430 | accessmonthday= January 25 | accessyear=2006}} </ref> The constitution of North Korea provides for freedom of the press, however in practice all media is strictly controlled by the government. The national media dedicates a large portion of its resources toward political propaganda and promoting the personality cult of [[Kim Il-Sung]] and [[Kim Jong-Il]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Kim Jong Il’s leadership, key to victory | work=Naenara | url=http://www.kcckp.net/en/news/news_view.php?0+1671 | accessmonthday=January 27 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> In addition, the media is said to make false claims, and the use of the [[United States]] as a scapegoat is common. For instance, the North Korean media claims that the [[United States]] started the [[Korean War]], which Soviet archives show to have started with a premeditated invasion from the north.<ref>{{cite web | title=Worst Obstacle to Reunification of Korea| work=Korea Today|url=http://www.kcckp.net/en/periodic/todaykorea/index.php?contents+1803+2006-01+80+36 |accessdate=2006-01-16}}</ref> Radio or television sets which can be bought in North Korea are pre-set to receive only the government frequencies and sealed with a label to prevent tampering with the equipment. It is a serious criminal offense to manipulate the sets and receive radio or television broadcasts from outside North Korea. In a party campaign in 2003 the head of each party cell in neighbourhoods and villages received instructions to verify the seals on all radio sets.<ref name="rwb"/> As North and South Korea use different television systems, ([[SECAM]] and [[NTSC]] respectively) it is not possible to view broadcasts across the border between the two countries; however, in areas bordering China, it has reportedly been possible to receive television from that country. ===Minority rights=== North Korea's population is one of the world's most [[Demographics of North Korea|ethnically homogenous]] and today immigration is almost non-existent. Among the few immigrants that have willingly gone to North Korea are [[Japanese people|Japanese]] spouses (generally wives) of Koreans who returned from Japan from 1955 to the early 1980s. These Japanese have been forced to assimilate and for the most part, the returnees overall are reported to (with a few exceptions, such as those who became part of the government) have not been fully accepted into North Korean society and instead ended up on the fringes, including concentration camps mentioned below. Foreigners who visit the country are generally strictly monitored and forbidden from entering certain locations.<ref>{{cite web | title=Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Consular Information Sheet| work=U.S. Department of State| url=http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_988.html| accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> ===Disabled rights=== On March 22, 2006, the [[Associated Press]] reported from South Korea that a North Korean doctor who defected, [[Ri Kwang-chol]], has claimed that babies born with physical defects are rapidly put to death and buried.<ref>{{cite web | title=Nation under a nuclear cloud: ‘Racially impure’ children killed | work=The Times Online| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article600929.ece| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> A United Nations report also mentions how disabled people are allegedly "rounded up" and sent to "special camps."<ref>{{cite web | title=U.N.: N. Korea puts disabled in camps | work=Disabled Peoples' International| url=http://v1.dpi.org/lang-en/resources/details?page=753| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> ==Criminal justice== ===Public executions=== The DPRK resumed public executions in October 2007 after they declined in the years following 2000 amongst international criticism. Prominent executed criminals include officials convicted of drug trafficking (a state monopoly) and embezzlement. A South Pyongan province factory chief convicted of making international phone calls from 13 phones he installed in his factory basement was executed by firing squad in front of a crowd of 150,000 people in a stadium. Reports from the aid agency "Good Friends" also said that six were killed in the crush as spectators left. A U.N. General Assembly committee has adopted a draft resolution, co-sponsored by more than 50 countries, expressing "very serious concern" at reports of widespread human rights violations in North Korea, including public executions. The DPRK has condemned the draft, saying it was inaccurate and biased, but it was still sent to the 192-member General Assembly for a final vote.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://english.pravda.ru/world/101627-public_execution-0 | title = North Korea resumes public executions | accessdate = 2007-12-19 | author = | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = 2007-11-26 | format = | work = | publisher = English language version of ''Pravda'' }}</ref> ===The prison system=== North Korea's government is said to routinely detain, torture and imprison thousands of individuals who are either dissidents or alleged saboteurs. The administration of Kim Jong-il maintains that it does not do any of these things. Many refugees have come forward and recounted stories which describe conditions within the country. The government is accused of employing political prison camps, believed to hold as many as 200,000 inmates, including children whose only crime is having "class enemies" for relatives. There have been widespread reports from North Korean refugees of forced [[abortion]], [[infanticide]], and [[famine]] in these prison camps. Extreme [[physical abuse]] is common (beatings often result in death).<ref>{{cite web | title=Running Out of the Darkness | work=TIME Magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1186569,00.html |accessmonthday=October 31 | accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41646.htm |title = Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of |accessdate = 2007-11-03 |author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |date = 2005-02-28 |publisher = US Department of State }}</ref> In 2002, a former party official named [[Lee Soon Ok]] gave testimony before a committee of the [[United States House of Representatives]] on her own treatment within North Korea's criminal system. She reported extensive torture, including the loss of eight teeth and permanent [[facial paralysis]]. She also reported that she was tried in a "[[kangaroo court]]" and sentenced to 13 years in a prison camp. She received unusually light treatment because of her background as an accountant. According to her statement, "I testify [sic] that most of the 6,000 prisoners who were there when I arrived in 1987 had quietly perished under the harsh prison conditions by the time I was released in 1992." She reported numerous tortures and deaths of individuals in her camp, including the killing of the babies and unborn children of women in the camp upon their arrival. Her testimony is consistent with many other reports.<ref>{{cite web | title=Testimony of Sun-ok Lee | work= U.S. House of Representatives| url=http://ncafe.com/northkorea/SunOkLeeTestimony_w_llus.pdf | accessdate=2006-01-26}}</ref> A 2004 [[BBC]] documentary also reported that in one of these camps, North Korea tests chemical weapons on prisoners in a gas chamber.<ref>{{cite web |title=Access to Evil | work= BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/3436701.stm | accessdate=2006-01-25}}</ref> Life in the camps has been covered in several other documentaries, such as ''[[The Aquariums of Pyongyang]]'' by [[Kang Chol-Hwan]]. ===Known location of prison camps=== The following is a list of some known and prominent locations of North Korean prison camps, but is by no means exhaustive:<ref>{{cite web | title=Selected Prison Camps in North Korea and their Locations | work=The Hidden Gulag |url=http://www.hrnk.org/hiddengulag/pdf/Overview.pdf |accessdate=2006-01-27}}</ref> *[[Bukchang concentration camp|Bukchang]] *[[Chongjin concentration camp|Chongjin]] *[[Daeheung concentration camp|Daeheung]] *[[Danchun concentration camp|Danchun ]] *[[Haengyong concentration camp|Haengyong]] *[[Hoeryong concentration camp|Hoeryong]] I [http://freekorea.us/2007/02/18/holocaust-now-looking-down-into-hell-at-camp-22/ Google Earth Tour] of Camp 22, Hoeryong *[[Hwasong concentration camp|Hwasong]] I [http://freekorea.us/2007/02/06/mass-escape-at-n-korean-concentration-camp-120-escape/ Google Earth images] of Camp 16, Hwasong *[[Jeonger-ri concentration camp|Jeonger-ri]] *[[Kaechon concentration camp|Kaechon]] *[[Kangdong concentration camp|Kangdong]] *[[Kyungsung concentration camp|Kyungsung]] *[[Onsong concentration camp|Onsong]] (closed 1987 after riot massacre)<ref>{{cite web | title=5,000 Prisoners Massacred at Onsong Concentration Camp in 1987 | work=The Chosun Ilbo | url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200212/200212110038.html | accessdate=2006-01-26}}</ref> *[[Oro concentration camp|Oro]] *[[Senghori concentration camp|Senghori]] *[[Sinuiji concentration camp|Sinuiji]] *[[Yongdam concentration camp|Yongdam]] *[[Yodok concentration camp|Yodok]] ==Propaganda== North Korean propaganda tactics heavily glorify Kim Jong Il<ref>{{cite web |title=Kim Jong Il| work= Wikipedia | url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong_Il| accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> and his father, who are referred to as the "Dear Leader" and "The Sunshine Of The 21st Century" respectively. Following the death of Kim Il-Sung, Koreans fell to the ground crying and clung to a [[bronze]] statue of him in an organized event.<ref>{{cite web | title=DEATH OF A LEADER: THE SCENE; In Pyongyang, Crowds of Mourners Gather at Kim Statue| work=The New York Times| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E5D9143FF933A25754C0A962958260| accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> ==Economy== ===[[North Korean Famine|Famine]] and the food distribution system=== In the aftermath of the [[Korean War]] and throughout the 1960s and '70s, the country's state-controlled [[Economy of North Korea|economy]] grew at a significant rate and, until the late 1970s, was considered to be stronger than that of the South. The country struggled into the 1990s, primarily due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the [[USSR]]<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3778/is_1992_April/ai_12151027 "Prospects for trade with an integrated Korean market"], Agricultural Outlook, April, 1992.</ref> and strained relations with [[China]] - following China's normalization with [[South Korea]] in 1992.<ref>[http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/china/03041801.html "Why South Korea Does Not Perceive China to be a Threat"], China in Transition, April 18, 2003.</ref> In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking [[floods]] (1995 and 1996) followed by several years of equally severe [[drought]] beginning in 1997.<ref>[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=OLS20051228&articleId=1663 "An Antidote to disinformation about North Korea"], Global Research, December 28, 2005.</ref> This, compounded with only 18 percent arable land<ref>[http://www.country-studies.com/north-korea/agriculture.html "North Korea Agriculture"], Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, Retrieved March 11, 2007.</ref> and an inability to import the goods necessary to sustain industry,<ref>[http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/target/industry.htm "Other Industry - North Korean Targets"] Federation of American Scientists, June 15, 2000.</ref> led to an [[Famine in North Korea|immense famine]] and left North Korea in economic shambles. The [[Famine in North Korea|famine]] resulted in the death of around 600,000 people.<ref>{{cite web | title= One Kwangju Per Day for Six Years | work=One Free Korea | url=http://freekorea.blogspot.com/2005/05/one-kwangju-per-day-for-six-years.html | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear= 2006}}</ref> By 1999, food and development aid reduced famine deaths. In the spring of 2005, the [[World Food Program]] reported that famine conditions were in imminent danger of returning to North Korea, and the government was reported to have ordered millions of city-dwellers to the countryside to perform farm labour.<ref>{{cite web | title= North Korea, Facing Food Shortages, Mobilizes Millions From the Cities to Help Rice Farmers |work=New York Times | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20810F6345D0C728CDDAF0894DD404482 | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> In 2005, the agricultural situation showed signs of improvement, rising 5.3% to 4.54 million tons; this was largely the result of increased donations of fertilizers from [[South Korea]]. However, the World Food Program stated that this was short of the estimated 6 million tons necessary to adequately feed the population. Nevertheless, North Korea called for food aid to cease, and shipments of food to the country ended on [[December 31]] of that year.<ref>{{cite web | title= North Korea's grain production up 5.3pc in 2005 |work=The Financial Express | url=http://www.financialexpress-bd.com/index3.asp?cnd=1/25/2006&section_id=24&newsid=13721&spcl=no | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> In the same period, news sources reported that North Korea continued to raise food prices while reducing food rations.<ref>{{cite web |title=North Korea Cuts Rations, Raises Taxes | work=The Command Post|url=http://www.command-post.org/nk/2_archives/018642.html#more |accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> North Korea's society is highly stratified by class, according to a citizen's family and political background.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41646.htm |title = Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of |accessdate = 2007-11-03 |author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |date = 2005-02-28 |publisher = US Department of State }}</ref> [[Refugees International]], [[Médecins Sans Frontières]], and Amnesty International have all accused North Korea of discriminating against those in "hostile" classes in the distribution of basic necessities, including food. In some "closed" areas that contained a higher concentration of "hostile" class members, the government appears to have prevented the delivery of significant amounts of food aid. North Korea maintains a massive military machine and supports an extravagant lifestyle for its leader, Kim Jong-Il.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Supremo in His Labyrinth |work=TIME Magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/magazine/0,9754,201976,00.html |accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Before the cessation of food shipments at the end of 2005, the World Food Program sought $200 million in emergency food aid for North Korea, an increase from its 2004 request of $171 million.<ref>{{cite web | title= Country Pages: Overview of Selected Operations | work=World Food Program | url=http://www.wfp.org/appeals/Current_shortfalls/index.asp?section=3&sub_section=2# | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> By comparison, its 2002 defense budget was $5.2 billion according to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] [[The World Factbook|World Factbook]]. ==International abductions== {{main|North Korean abductions of South Koreans|North Korean abductions of Japanese}} In the decades after the [[Korean War]] there were reports that North Korea had abducted many foreign nationals, mainly South Koreans and [[Japanese people|Japanese]]. For years these were dismissed as conspiracy theories even by many of the regime's critics; however, in September 2002, Kim Jong-Il acknowledged the involvement of North Korean "special institutions" in the kidnapping of Japanese citizens in the late 1970s and early 1980s to Japanese [[Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister]] [[Junichiro Koizumi]]. He stated that those responsible had been punished.<ref>{{cite web | title=North Korea trip not a winner in Japan | work=Asia Times Online | url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/DI19Dh03.html | accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Five surviving victims were allowed to visit Japan and decided not to return to North Korea. For eight more Japanese abductees, officials claimed deaths caused by accidents or illnesses; Japan says this leaves two still unaccounted for, and says that what the North claimed were the ashes of [[Megumi Yokota]] were not hers. In addition, information from American deserter [[Charles Robert Jenkins]] indicates that North Korea kidnapped a [[Thailand|Thai]] woman in 1978.<ref>{{cite web | title=Thai foreign minister to visit Japan, hopes to meet Jenkins | work=TMCnet | url=http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/jan/1283084.htm |accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Despite the admission to Prime Minister Koizumi, the North Korean government continues to deny the kidnappings of other foreign nationals and refuses any cooperation to investigate further cases of suspected abductions. However, officials of the South Korean government claim that 486 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, are believed to have been abducted since the end of the Korean War. Advocates and family members have accused the government of doing little or nothing to gain their freedom.<ref>{{cite web | title=Daughter Calls for Abducted Father's Return From North | work=The Korea Times | url=http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200510/kt2005101917570810510.htm |accessmonthday=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> ==See also== {{Portal|Human rights}} *[[List of Korea-related topics]] *[[Politics in North Korea]] *[[Human rights in East Asia]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://abraham318.com/ Abraham318.com, Many waters(voices) for North Korea Human rights] *[http://www.chosunjournal.com/ Chosun Journal] *[http://www.house.gov/international_relations/nkhra.htm Official materials related to the North Korean Human Rights Act] *[http://www.linkglobal.org/ Liberty in North Korea] *[http://www.hrnk.org U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea] *[http://www.nknet.org/ Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights] (in Korean and English) *[http://www.nkfreedomhouse.org North Korea Freedom House] *[http://freekorea.us/2007/03/06/can-they-do-it-a-brief-history-of-resistance-to-the-north-korean-regime/ Chronology of reported anti-government resistance] *Google earth images of the North Korean concentration camps at [http://freekorea.us/2007/02/18/holocaust-now-looking-down-into-hell-at-camp-22/ Camp 22], with accounts of the atrocities alleged to occur there, and [http://freekorea.us/2007/02/06/mass-escape-at-n-korean-concentration-camp-120-escape/ Camp 16], with a report of a December 2006 mass escape by 120 prisoners. *[http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/156/ Archive of North Korea coverage] at the [[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]]. *[http://korea.ahrchk.net AHRC's documents on consecutive solitary confinement, torture and national security law in south Korea] *[http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=861907&page=&vc=1&PHPSESSID=#Post861907 North Korea Uncovered], see many of the alleged camps on Google Earth with high-resolution overlays from "The Hidden Gulag." ; Web Logs *[http://freekorea.us/ One Free Korea:] Updated daily; focusing on human rights, political, economic, and military issues, often with Google-Earth tours of North Korea's most secret places *[http://nkay.blogsome.com/ RU NK:] Focusing primarily on human rights issues, by a member of [[Liberty in North Korea]] *[http://www.nkzone.org/ NK Zone:] Includes a variety of perspectives, with a greater focus on cultural and economic issues '''U.S. State Department Annual Reports''' *[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51515.htm Religious Freedom Report 2005] *[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41646.htm Human Rights Report 2004] *[http://www.hrnk.org/refugeesReport06.pdf U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea - Refugees Report 2006] {{Asia in topic|Human rights in}} [[Category:Human rights in North Korea| ]] [[de:Menschenrechtssituation in Nordkorea]] [[es:Derechos humanos en Corea del Norte]] [[fr:Droits de l'homme en Corée du Nord]] [[ja:北朝鮮人権問題]] [[pl:Prawa człowieka w Korei Północnej]] [[ru:Права человека в КНДР]] [[zh:北韓人權]]