1. The delegation of the Republic of Korea (ROK), led by Ambassador YUN Seong Deok, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, participated in the fourth UPR cycle of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which took place on November 7 in Geneva. The ROK delegation made recommendations concerning the serious human rights situation in the DPRK.

2. On October 25, the ROK government submitted its advance questions on the human rights situation in the DPRK and inquired about measures taken by the regime to enhance its human rights conditions. Furthermore, on the occasion of the DPRK’s UPR held on November 7, the ROK government offered recommendations regarding critical human rights violations in the DPRK.

3. Through its recommendations, the ROK government highlighted the negative effects of the DPRK’s extreme militarization on human rights of North Korean people and recommended that the DPRK rectify the situation. In particular, the ROK pointed out that the DPRK’s extreme militarization led to repression of fundamental rights, and diversion of scarce resources away from North Korean people toward the development of illicit WMDs, and even to labor exploitation.

4. For the first time in the DPRK’s UPR, the ROK government made recommendations on the issues of detainees and escapees who have been forcibly repatriated. The ROK recommended that the DPRK immediately resolve the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families. In particular, it recommended that the DPRK promptly release six Korean nationals who are held against their will by the DPRK, including three Korean missionaries KIM Jung Wook, KIM Kook Kie and CHOI Chun Gil. The ROK government also made recommendations that the DPRK ensure those who have been forcibly repatriated, especially women and girls, are not subjected to inhumane treatment such as torture.

5. The ROK’s recommendations include repeal or reform of all laws and practices suppressing the right to freedom of opinion and expression, especially the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Act, the Youth Education Guarantee Act, and the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act.

6. The ROK government further urged that the DPRK ratify outstanding international human rights instruments, including CAT (Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) and ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination), in line with the recommendation previously made by the ROK and accepted by the DPRK, and fully comply with those already ratified.

7. Five years have lapsed since the DPRK’s third UPR in 2019. During this period, there have been complex changes in the environment, including deepening isolation of the DPRK with border closure after the COVID-19 outbreak and tightened restrictions on the influx of outside information, the DPRK’s policy change such as defining the Republic of Korea as a “hostile state,” and unlawful military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia. The DPRK’s UPR served as an opportunity to raise awareness of the international community on negative human rights impact of such recent developments.

8. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the DPRK which found that systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed by the DPRK. The DPRK’s UPR provided an opportunity to review the human rights situation in the DPRK during the past decade and served as a wake-up call for the international community with regard to the further deteriorating human rights conditions in the DPRK.

9. The DPRK’s human rights issues are one of the top priorities for the ROK government which firmly upholds universal values. In accordance with this policy, the ROK government took part in the DPRK’s UPR process and urged, with the international community, the DPRK to take concrete actions to improve its human rights situation.

10. As stated in the “August 15 Unification Doctrine,” improving North Korean human rights is an important groundwork for peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula. In this respect, the ROK government will continue its multi-faceted efforts to enhance the DPRK’s human rights conditions in various settings, including the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council.