UN: Rights abuses continue in North Korea a decade after probe

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3 hours ago

STORY: :: File
It's been ten years since a United Nations report concluded that North Korea committed crimes against humanity.
But this week, a U.N. official told Reuters that many abuses continue and things have gotten worse because COVID-era restrictions are still in place.
James Heenan, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Seoul told Reuters that while this year's report is still being finalized-
-the past decade has seen North Korea engage more internationally, but tighten control at home:
"So one thing that surprises me was the use of the death penalty and continued use of executions. Another was the hunger situation, the fact that, again, during COVID, it's better now, but during the depths of COVID, we saw not just hunger, but we had credible reports of starvation"
:: File
North Korea's embassy in London did not answer phone calls seeking comment.
In the past, the government has denied abuses and accused the U.N. and other countries of using human rights as a political weapon.
Heenan said his team interviewed over 300 recent North Korean escapees, some of whom will speak publicly for the first time next week as part of an effort to put a human face on the U.N. findings.
:: File
Heenan says funding cuts for international aid and U.N. programs around the world is threatening the support available for North Korean refugees-
-and that human rights has traditionally been a volatile subject for foreign governments trying to engage with the nuclear-armed state:
"But there's no point self censoring on human rights, because no one is no one. How shall I say this nicely? No one's fooled. No one doesn't realize these issues are there."
:: File/:: Dandong, China
On Wednesday SI Analytics, a Seoul-based satellite imagery firm, released a report showing North Korea is renovating a key prison camp near the border with China.
While this could be in response to international criticism, the firm notes that it is simultaneously strengthening physical control over prisoners as it improves the facility.