North Korea Human Rights Violations

The topic I chose to write my report on is – Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, more commonly known simply as North Korea. I believe North Korea must be at the forefront of any contemporary Human Rights discussion. Additionally, it is of my belief that North Korea is the single most significant violator of Human Rights, in the modern world today. Throughout the following, I will analyze, and assess, the many Human Rights violations perpetrated by North Korea – both in current and in past day. I will discuss in detail the Human Rights violations that I believe have had the greatest effect on the nation – (North Korea). To begin, and specifically, I will first be looking at the Human Rights violations surrounding the issues

Gross domestic product is widely seen as, one of, if not, the single strongest, numerical quantification for calculating the strength of a nation’s economy. The reason I am focusing on economics, as it relates to North Korea, and Humans Rights, is I believe many of North Korea’s Human Rights violations derive directly from economic turmoil, and flat out, economic incompetence. Many of North Korea’s citizens live in abject poverty. The average income of a North Korean citizen is estimated to be amongst the lowest of any nation in the world today. This has caused many of North Korea’s citizens to become malnourished, and in some cases, even the victims of extreme famine. It may go without saying, but famine of this like is most certainly a Human Rights violation. To that note, at no point in time were conditions worse in North Korea than from the years 1994 until 1998 – when North Korea endured most extreme famine. This stemming from a serve food supply shortage, combined with severe flooding, and droughting, throughout the nation. The fact that the 1994-1998 food shortage was exacerbated by a series of floods, and droughts, in no way renders the State innocent. North Korea left its self greatly vulnerable to such a tragedy, by cutting its self-off from nearly the entire rest of the developed world, as it relates to trade. Something that

Due to such, there is potential for an opening, or a vacuum, for social unrest in the country amongst the public. In many ways this realization acts to incentivize a greater level of State control, by what many would call, a sadistic regime in North Korea. For the power brokers in North Korea, control is everything – and this highlighted within many of North Korea’s Human Rights violations. The right to Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, and the Freedom of Education, are some of the most fundamental rights to any Democratic nation, and are as one might guess, all greatly undercut by the North Korean regime. Earlier we touched on the issues of economic unrest, and the overall extremely harsh living conditions that face North Korean citizens. I see such as being incredibly insightful, when looking at the issues of Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Press, and the Freedom of Education. One way for a fascist regime to control its citizens, is to prevent against any sort of uprising. One of the most powerful ways to counter any uprising, is by creating a legal mechanism for undercutting Freedom of Expression. It is completely against North Korean law to act out in any manner against the State, and such is punishable up to life in prison. Making for matters worse, in North Korea, in most cases what is commonly referred to as ‘prison’ really means, a glorified death