Human Rights Violations of North Korea
INTRODUCTION North Korea is possibly the least accessible, and "the most brutal and repressive country in the world." (Martin, 2006) Since its formation after World War II very little information has left the country. What has left are the defectors and the stories of horrible atrocities against humanity the government is bestowing upon its citizens. Classified as a democracy, it is just a mask hiding the Kim Dynasty's totalitarian ways.
With its ideology of "Juche," they have relied as little as possible on outside help. They rule and produce on the inside, with only the close to communist China being its biggest factor for production of money. Human rights are completely unheard of, and reports of torture within its reform camps are common from those that flee and escape Kim's grip. Humanitarian aid is being pulled, and the country has started to show some of its nuclear power to the world. While these are just some of the issues at hand, North Korea's dignitaries show no sign that they have broken all human rights laws, and that the country is in a state of economic need.
HISTORY OF KOREA/NORTH KOREA North Korea's hatching started in the late nineteenth century. At this time the peninsula was just one Korea; its monarchs created the "Hermit Kingdom" by closing its doors to foreign push-and-pull. However, Japanese influence on Korea was very strong as was China's presence and sheer size and power on the country. Russian's also planned to gain from the peninsula economically. These giants held fierce competition against each other which sparked several wars. In 1894 and 1895 there was the Sino-Japanese War, and later, from 1904 to 1905 was the Russo-Japanese War. After Japans victories against Russia and the Chinese, Korea became part of the Japanese Empire when it was annexed in 1910. (USC-UCLA; North Korea Profile, 2006) Japan ruled Korea with a sharp authority, attempting to wipe all the Koreans had previously known and believed including culture, as well
With its ideology of "Juche," they have relied as little as possible on outside help. They rule and produce on the inside, with only the close to communist China being its biggest factor for production of money. Human rights are completely unheard of, and reports of torture within its reform camps are common from those that flee and escape Kim's grip. Humanitarian aid is being pulled, and the country has started to show some of its nuclear power to the world. While these are just some of the issues at hand, North Korea's dignitaries show no sign that they have broken all human rights laws, and that the country is in a state of economic need.
HISTORY OF KOREA/NORTH KOREA North Korea's hatching started in the late nineteenth century. At this time the peninsula was just one Korea; its monarchs created the "Hermit Kingdom" by closing its doors to foreign push-and-pull. However, Japanese influence on Korea was very strong as was China's presence and sheer size and power on the country. Russian's also planned to gain from the peninsula economically. These giants held fierce competition against each other which sparked several wars. In 1894 and 1895 there was the Sino-Japanese War, and later, from 1904 to 1905 was the Russo-Japanese War. After Japans victories against Russia and the Chinese, Korea became part of the Japanese Empire when it was annexed in 1910. (USC-UCLA; North Korea Profile, 2006) Japan ruled Korea with a sharp authority, attempting to wipe all the Koreans had previously known and believed including culture, as well
References: Martin, B. (2006) Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. St. Martin 's Press Korea, North Dodds, K. (2007, February). NORTH KOREA. Geographical North Korea Profile Lee, Soon-Ok. (2002, May). Statement of Sun-Ok Lee, Former Prison and Camp Survivor. Testimony to the United States Government Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2005: North Korea. (2006, March) U.S. Department of State. Retreived on October 27th from http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61612.htm Foster-Carter, Aiden Freedom House Country Report: North Korea (2006). Retrieved October 12th, 2007 from http://freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6993. Hawk, David. (2003). The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea 's Prison Camps Prisoners ' Testimonies and Satellite Photographs. U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. http://www.hrnk.org/hiddengulag/toc.html. Kang, Chol-Hwan. (2001, December). 5,000 Prisoners Massacred at Onsong Concentration Camp in 1987. Retreived October 13th, 2007 from http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200212/200212110038.html LiNK: Liberty in North Korea