Human Rights In North Korea

After World War II in 1945, Korea was free from Japanese command, and partitioned into the North and South. The North was occupied by Russia, and the South was controlled mainly by the United States. Soviet military leaders came to notice Kim Il-sung, who became well known for taking part in the Korean guerilla resistance against the Japanese. Soviet authorities sent him to the Soviet Union for training, along with other North Koreans. A communist government was established under the guidance of the Soviet Union, who then gave up their leadership to Kim Il-sung in September 1948, marking North Korea’s official independence day (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Kim Il-sung led an invasion into South Korea in 1950, but faced an opposition
North Korean citizens are not allowed to leave the country, and those who visit are intensely monitored. Article 4 and 5 are also hugely disregarded. Around 120,000 citizens of all ages are being held in a political prison camp, deprived of communication. In the camp, they are starved, raped, tortured, and even killed among other types of objectifying treatment (AJC Welcomes UN Security Council Discussion of North Korean Human Rights Abuses). Anyone seen as opposing the government can be sent to these prison camps. People are being controlled by fear, as they do not want to face group punishment. Creative thinking and religious freedom is non existent in North Korea’s controlling society. North Korean citizens can be sentenced to death for “vaguely defined offenses such as ‘crimes against the state’ and ‘crimes against the people’” (Human Rights Watch). These citizens are not subject to a fair trial, as the North’s court system is neither just nor efficient. Article 19 which entails freedom of speech and opinion is among the numerous human rights violations made. All forms of media are state-controlled, and void of overseas information. Phone calls and internet use is heavily limited and closely watched. Censorship is largely implemented in all sources of information as well.(Human Rights Watch) North Korea’s human rights violations are countless, and have been an ongoing issue discussed amongst the rest of the world for decades. In November 2015, the United Nations called a global conference where they discussed the human rights violations performed by North Korea’s current Supreme Leader Kim Jong-eun. Consideration for reporting Kim to the International Criminal Court for suspected crimes against humanity has been set in