Korea Future Shapes Historic United Nations Resolution

Korea Future achieved a significant victory in securing key amendments to the 2024 United Nations Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The impact of these amendments was threefold:

1. Comprehensive Recognition of the DPRK's Penal System: For the first time, the UN HRC resolution acknowledges the entirety of the DPRK's penal system, which includes political prison camps, re-education camps, labour training camps, labour training centres, detention centres, holding centres, and waiting rooms. The amendments (cited in Paragraphs 1e & 2g) of widespread human rights violations within these facilities extends beyond the United Nations Commission of Inquiry’s (COI) 2014 report, which did not fully recognise the scope of the penal system. This critical inclusion not only enhances the documentation of human rights abuses within the DPRK’s penal infrastructure but also sets the stage for increased accountability measures for these violations.

2. Demand for Halting Human Rights Violations in the Entire Penal System: The resolution explicitly demands the immediate cessation of all human rights violations across the entire penal system (Paragraph 2g), signifying a direct call to action for the DPRK and the international community.

3. Focus on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV): The resolution now emphasises the need for the DPRK to acknowledge and urgently address SGBV against forcibly repatriated women in detention and calls for transparency regarding the treatment of women as a particularly vulnerable group within these settings (Paragraph 2m).

These achievements highlight the significant impact of evidence-based and targeted advocacy grounded in detailed and comprehensive investigations. The basis of our efforts stems from our own investigations conducted by our team, which encompassed 571 in-person interviews with survivors, witnesses, and former state agents. As we move forward, this foundation will continue to guide our endeavours to promote accountability and justice at the UN HRC.