Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 12, 2025 Human rights
The human rights situation in North Korea has not improved over the past decade and in many respects has even worsened, further exacerbating the suffering of the population, the UN Human Rights Office said in a report released on Friday.
Isolation and control of citizens
The country adopted new laws and implemented policies aimed at controlling citizens in all spheres of life and increasing surveillance of them.
“No other people in the modern world are subject to such restrictions,” the report says, citing a man who managed to escape from the DPRK: “It was a form of control aimed at eliminating even the most minor manifestations of discontent or complaints.”
In 2025, the country is more closed than at any time in its history. The report notes a link between the DPRK's increasing isolation, the country's deteriorating human rights situation, and the peace and security situation on the entire Korean Peninsula.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in connection with the release of the report "on the lost decade in North Korea". "And it pains me to say that if the DPRK continues on its current trajectory, the population will continue to suffer, brutal repression and fear," he said.
Political prison camps and propaganda
The report says that political prison camps continue to operate in the country, and the fate of hundreds of thousands of missing people, including abducted foreign nationals from South Korea, Japan and elsewhere, remains unknown.
The population continues to be subjected to incessant propaganda by the state.
The people of the DPRK are also not provided with adequate nutrition, and some government measures are exacerbating the problem of hunger.
Death penalty and forced labor
Laws in North Korea today provide for a broader use of the death penalty. The death penalty is used in practice.
New harsh penalties, including the death penalty, have been introduced for free expression of opinion and use of information. The death penalty is envisaged, in particular, for disseminating foreign media materials and TV series. Surveillance of the population has become even more widespread thanks to the development of technology.
The report, based on hundreds of interviews conducted by the agency and other materials, points to an increase in the use of forced labor in many forms, particularly so-called “shock brigades,” typically recruited to work in dangerous industries such as mining and construction. These brigades typically include people from poor families. In recent years, the government has used thousands of orphans and street children in coal mines and other dangerous sites.
What has changed for the better
The office has received reports of some improvements. North Koreans who have managed to leave the country have reported some improvements in the treatment of people in detention facilities. The number of incidents of violence by guards has decreased slightly, and law enforcement officials are reported to be more aware of the standards of treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the conditions in which they are held.
Several laws have been passed that are said to strengthen fair trial guarantees and protection against ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty.
The country has engaged to some extent with the international human rights system, having ratified two more human rights treaties and fulfilled reporting obligations to some treaty bodies. However, the gap between the state’s international obligations and the real lives of its citizens remains evident, the report says.
Recommendations
The report states that States have an obligation to respect the principle of non-refoulement for North Korean citizens under their jurisdiction and that the negative impact of sanctions on the enjoyment of human rights by the country's population must be addressed.
The report also makes recommendations on measures the government can take to improve the human rights situation in the country. These include ending the system of political prison camps, ending the death penalty, ending torture and ill-treatment in places of detention, disseminating information about human rights among the population, and others.
"These steps will give people hope that the path to a future full of freedom, equality and rights is possible," Turk said.
"Hundreds of interviews conducted for this report show a clear and strong desire for change, particularly among young people," he added.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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