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shift in their approach to North Korea, reliant upon a “human
rights upfront strategy.” It is also high time this alliance of
like-minded states proactively reached out to the developing
nations of the Global South, to enlist UN member states from
that group under the banner of bringing peace, prosperity, and
human rights to the people of North Korea.

North Korean Human Rights: A Brief Overview

North and South Korea joined the UN in 1991. North Korea
assumed international human rights obligations through
its UN membership, particularly through the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. North Korea had already
acceded to the two human rights covenants in 1982, nine years
before it joined the UN: the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant
on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). It
has also accepted the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),
the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), and
the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
(CRPD). North Korea’s Constitution includes protection of
fundamental human rights, including freedom of religion,
assembly, and expression. And yet, there is no intent to
implement human rights standards, no capacity to implement
such standards, and no effectiveness in the implementation
of such standards. Every conceivable human right is being
violated in North Korea. The Kim family regime perpetuates
itself through a deliberate policy of human rights denial.

142 Section II : Human Rights, Abductees, Forced Repatriation of Refugees and the Regional Implications