HRNK's Submission to the Commission on the Status of Women
Submission to the Commission on the Status of Women (UN Women) containing information relating to violations of human rights affecting the status of women in the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
August 1, 2024
Full credit for this submission goes to HRNK team members Diletta de Luca, Rick Herssevoort, Damian Reddy, Begüm Tiritoglu, SoEun Park, and Suha Choi. HRNK is grateful for their terrific contributions to our work and mission.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains one of the worst human rights offenders in the world. Ten years ago, in February 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) found that the DPRK was responsible for ongoing crimes against humanity. The gravity, scale, and nature of the DPRK’s violations of human rights reveal a state that has no parallel in the contemporary world. The DPRK’s systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations are thoroughly documented, including its imposition of arbitrary detention, arbitrary death penalties, political prison camps, slave labor, violence and discrimination against women, the absolute monopoly of information, and total control of all organized social life under the hierarchical system of songbun. Under Kim Jong-un’s rule, the scale and scope of these violations have worsened and intensified. HRNK’s research activities provide evidence of the intensification of a crackdown on human rights in the DPRK. Moreover, the situation in the DPRK remains dire and has been exacerbated within the past four years by excessive restrictions imposed under the pretext of the COVID-19 pandemic. In her report of March 9, 2023 (A/HRC/52/65), the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, Elizabeth Salmón, reiterated longstanding concerns of the international community, with particular attention to the chronic abuses and discriminatory conditions that are imposed upon women and girls.
Additionally, the international community has been increasingly recognizing the nexus between the DPRK’s nuclear weapons development and its widespread human rights abuses.[1] This growing attention stems from the recognition that the regime’s systematic repression and control over its population are essential mechanisms that enable the continued prioritization of nuclear weapons development over the welfare of its citizens. This connection was underscored in January 2013 by the then High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who expressed concerns that the focus on nuclear and missile advancements was overshadowing severe human rights violations in the country.[2] The UN COI further highlighted the prioritization of the DPRK on military spending over humanitarian needs, exacerbating the human rights crisis.[3] Additionally, by abusing the human rights of its citizens, the DPRK is able to extract resources to fund its nuclear development program. One example includes the dispatch of North Korean workers abroad, a systematic practice tightly controlled by the DPRK which sends its citizens to work in various countries under conditions that violate international labor laws and human rights standards.[4] Through their exploitation, the DPRK manages to obtain fundamental resources to fund its nuclear weapons program. Consequently, addressing human rights abuses inside the country remains crucial for any effective strategy aimed at halting the nuclear weapons program of the DPRK. Sustainable denuclearization efforts must therefore include a focus on improving human rights within the country, as one is intrinsically tied to the perpetuation of the other. This submission focuses on the impacts of the DPRK’s nuclear program on the human rights and human security of North Korean women.
Gender-based violence in North Korea is influenced by the broader socio-political and economic landscape of the DPRK regime; the allocation of already scarce resources to the nuclear program, coupled with international sanctions, exacerbates the humanitarian crisis and heightens women’s vulnerability to gender-based violence. This diversion of resources leads to scarcity of essential goods and services, placing women, who are often responsible for securing food and resources for their families, in precarious situations such as exploitative labor or transactional sex.
Nuclear testing leads to severe environmental degradation affecting agricultural production where women are often primary workers, thereby impacting food security.
The nuclear development program generates significant negative externalities and health risks for the North Korean population. While it remains challenging to determine the exact impact of nuclear weapons development inside the country, some sources have been documenting and estimating their effect by analyzing different sources. It has been determined that hundreds of thousands of people residing near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site face risks from the leakage and spread of radioactive materials through water.[5] According to a human rights advocacy group based in Seoul, the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG),[6] the “radioactive materials could have spread in a radius of 25 miles around the site, where more than 1 million people live and rely on groundwater for many of their daily activities”.[7] This indicates that the sphere of influence may have even extended not just to North Korean residents, but to people in neighboring countries such as the Republic of Korea, China, and Japan. Moreover, Lee Shin-wha, ROK Ambassador-at-large for North Korean human rights, recognized the potential for radioactive leakage that has been affecting North Korean residents, noting that over 1,000 defectors had lived near nuclear test sites.[8] Additionally, information published by the ROK Ministry of Unification in 2017 revealed abnormalities in “9 out of 40 North Korean escapees from the areas near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site (22.5 percent) in 2017 and 2018”.
Additionally, a recent HRNK-published report – Slaves to the Bomb: the Role and Fate of North Korea’s Nuclear Scientists – provides information on the neglect of nuclear safety and the radiation exposure and sickness among North Korean nuclear scientists, with a significant impact on women.[9] Radiation exposure at various nuclear sites in the DPRK has not only had significant general health impacts on the wide population but also disproportionately threatens the human security and human rights of North Korean women. Women working at the Yongbyon Nuclear Complex have faced severe reproductive health issues, as escapees have testified that they have been unable to conceive children. This points to severe reproductive health consequences due to radiation exposure, which fundamentally violates their rights to health, reproductive rights, and the right to life. Furthermore, the impact on women’s health is not limited to those directly working in such hazardous environments. Locals in Bungang, near Yongbyon, remain aware of radiation risks, including birth defects, and cases of bribery for the relocation of children in safer areas are common. This highlights the intergenerational health impacts on women who have been exposed to radiation indirectly through environmental contamination.
The severe health issues faced by women in these regions additionally extend beyond reproductive health. Chronic illnesses, cancers, and radiation-induced mental health problems further diminish their quality of life. At the Pyongsan Uranium Mine, the lack of adequate protection against radiation exposure has led to severe health consequences, including lung cancer among miners, which indirectly affects women who live in these communities and care for sick family members.[10] This scenario underscores the broader societal and familial burdens placed on women, exacerbating their vulnerabilities and limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation.
In Kilju County, near the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, women have been found to have significant levels of radiation exposure, leading to health issues such as hair loss, severe headaches, and joint pain. These health problems hinder their ability to perform daily activities, work, and care for their families, thus infringing upon their basic human rights and freedoms. Moreover, the DPRK’s attempts to restrict the movement of Kilju residents to Pyongyang after the nuclear tests suggest a deliberate effort to hide the health impacts, leaving these women without adequate medical care or the ability to seek justice and compensation for their suffering.[11]
The broader implications of radiation exposure for North Korean women include compromised health, reduced life expectancy, and significant psychological stress. The lack of transparency and accountability from the DPRK prevents these women from seeking justice and support, perpetuating a cycle of neglect and abuse. Their fundamental rights to health, security, and a safe environment are continuously violated, underscoring the need for urgent international attention and intervention. Addressing these issues is crucial not only for improving the health and well-being of North Korean women but also for ensuring that their rights are recognized and protected in the face of ongoing human rights abuses and their interrelation to the country’s nuclear program.
To enhance the status of women in the DPRK, especially regarding the severe impact of radiation exposure from nuclear activities, the international community should undertake a multi-faceted approach. Increasing diplomatic pressure on the DPRK remains essential, alongside advocating for human rights through global platforms such as the CSW and the HRC. Additionally, the strategic use of economic sanctions targeting specific entities within the DPRK that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and expose women to hazardous conditions can help dismantle the structures that enable the perpetration of these human rights abuses.
Ten years after the UN COI and following a post-COVID reset involving the dramatic worsening of the human rights situation in North Korea, the need for an updated investigation appears evident. Moreover, in the aftermath of a March 28, 2024 Russian Federation veto of a UN Security Council resolution to renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts (PoE) tasked to monitor compliance with the UNSC sanctions regime on North Korea, it is significantly more difficult for UN Member States to receive updates on North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and its linkages to human rights and humanitarian issues, including the human rights and human security of North Korean women.
HRNK recommends that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) should consider commissioning an impartial and independent expert team on the DPRK to highlight both security and human rights issues, including linkages between the nuclear program and the human rights and human security of North Koreans, paying special attention to the health and human rights of women. The proposed expert team would report annually to UN Member States and assist the UN General Assembly and UNSC in executing their mandates. The expert team’s work would complement, without duplicating or overlapping, the work of the OHCHR’s North Korea mandate, which does not extend to covering linkages between human rights violations and the nuclear program.
HRNK is the leading non-partisan, non-governmental organization in the field of North Korean human rights research and advocacy, based in Washington, D.C. Since our inception in 2001, we have sought to raise international awareness of the human rights situation in the DPRK through the publication of well-documented reports and outreach activities in support of the recommendations made in those publications. We have published sixty-six reports so far, investigating the DPRK’s vast system of unlawful imprisonment, the Kim regime’s policy of human rights denial, and vulnerable groups, especially women, children, and people in detention. HRNK received UN ECOSOC consultative status in April 2018. Ever since, we have been proactively representing civil society at the UN. By participating in the Universal Periodic Review and organizing online and in-person international conferences, seminars and meetings with Permanent Missions, UN agencies, and other offices in Geneva, New York City, Brussels, and Seoul, HRNK continues to disseminate the findings and recommendations put forth in our reports.
Thank you very much for the invitation to submit an advisory opinion. Should you be interested in a virtual meeting to further discuss the information provided, please feel free to contact me directly at executive.director@hrnk.org. I would greatly appreciate an opportunity to continue this conversation and share more details about our work and mission.
Thank you very much for your time and kind consideration.
[1] For instance, the UN Security Council meeting 15726 discussing the human rights situation in the DPRK.
[2] United Nations, 2013, “Top UN official calls for international inquiry into human rights abuses in DPR Korea,” https://news.un.org/en/story/2013/01/429762.
[3] United Nations General Assembly, 2014, Report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, A/HRC/25/63, para 51.
[4] Greg Scarlatoiu, 2022, “North Korean Workers Officially Dispatched to China & Russia,” Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Overseas_Workers_0926.pdf.
[5] Kim Arin, 2023, “Potential radiation exposure to North Koreans near nuclear test site overlooked: report,” The Korea Herald, https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230221000740.
[6] Transitional Justice Working Group, 2023, “Mapping the Risk and Effect of Radioactive Contamination of Groundwater Sources From the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site in North Korea,” https://en.tjwg.org/mapping-project-north-korea/.
[7] Thomas Meresca, 2023, February 21, “Report: North Korean nuclear tests pose radiation risk to region,” UPI, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/02/21/North-Korea-radiation-nuclear-test-Punggye-ri-TJWG/9491676975342/.
[8] Yuchan Kim, 2023, November 7, “Opinion – North Korea’s Nuclear Tests and Potential Human Rights Violations,” E-International Relations, https://www.e-ir.info/2023/11/04/opinion-north-koreas-nuclear-tests-and-potential-human-rights-violations/.
[9] Robert Collins, 2024, “Slaves to the Bomb: the Role and Fate of North Korea’s Nuclear Scientists,” Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/STTB_web.pdf.
[10] Robert Collins, 2024, “Slaves to the Bomb: the Role and Fate of North Korea’s Nuclear Scientists.”
[11] Robert Collins, 2024, “Slaves to the Bomb: the Role and Fate of North Korea’s Nuclear Scientists.”
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