State authorities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continue to commit crimes against humanity.

BACKGROUND:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, is one of the most authoritarian and repressive countries in the world, severely restricting universal human rights in a widespread manner. In a landmark report issued in February 2014, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC)-mandated Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on the DPRK established responsibility at the highest level of government for ongoing crimes against humanity. 

The CoI’s report detailed harrowing abuses committed by the DPRK government, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other forms of sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, forcible transfer of populations and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation. Detentions, executions and disappearances are characterized by centralized coordination between different parts of the extensive security system, which includes labor camps, political prisons and detention centers. The CoI reported that the government targets those considered to be “politically suspect,” including non-nationals who are labeled as “hostile.” Persons accused of political crimes have been subject to abduction, enforced disappearance and execution without trial. 

In January 2023 the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) found that serious human rights violations and possible international crimes, including abductions and enforced disappearances, overseas forced labor and sexual and gender-based violence, continue to occur. The UN Secretary-General has also documented pervasive torture and forced labor among the country’s large detainee population. OHCHR concluded in July 2024 that forced labor is institutionalized in the DPRK and may constitute the crime against humanity of enslavement.  

For decades the DPRK government has attempted to insulate itself from international engagement and scrutiny. The government has refused to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and offices, including the OHCHR office in Seoul and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK. Prolonged isolationist measures and the alleged diversion of aid have severely restricted access to food, medicine, healthcare and livelihoods.  

The DPRK government further entrenched its policy of isolation by closing international borders and enforcing repressive and unnecessary restrictions on basic freedoms under the pretext of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Since the partial reopening of the DPRK’s borders on 26 August 2023, Chinese authorities have reportedly forcibly returned more than 800 people. As highlighted by the CoI, China considers border-crossers to be illegal “economic migrants” and does not allow them to seek asylum, defying its commitments under international refugee law. A group of UN experts have called on China to respect the principle of non-refoulement.  

In response to the CoI’s findings, in December 2014 the human rights situation in the DPRK was added as an item on the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) agenda. Prior to that, the UNSC engaged with the DPRK almost exclusively in the context of nuclear non-proliferation and had never directly addressed ongoing human rights abuses. Despite the Council holding several meetings on this agenda item, there have yet to be any tangible outcomes. In March 2024 the HRC adopted a resolution commemorating the anniversary of the CoI report and mandating the High Commissioner to submit at the 60th session a comprehensive update on the human rights situation in the DPRK since 2014 and to take stock of the implementation of the CoI’s recommendations. 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:

On 29 May 2025 the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a multilateral mechanism comprised of ​11​ states, published its first report on unlawful military cooperation between DPRK and Russia. The MSMT was established in October 2024 after Russia vetoed a resolution that would have renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts (PoE) assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. The report corroborated the PoE’s earlier findings, citing credible evidence – substantiated by satellite imagery – of goods and materials transferred between the DPRK and Russia, in direct violation of several UNSC resolutions prohibiting such exchanges. On 28 April the DPRK acknowledged deploying 11,000 troops to bolster Russia’s ongoing war efforts in Ukraine. In June 2024 Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact pledging to support each other against invasions.  

On 20 May the UN General Assembly held a high-level plenary meeting to address the human rights situation in the DPRK, as requested in Resolution 79/181.  

ANALYSIS:

Despite international engagements focused on denuclearization and other security issues, the human rights and humanitarian situation in the DPRK has largely been neglected. The country’s human rights record is intimately linked to its weapons development program, which benefits from forced labor, and contributes to widespread poverty and hunger through unequal resource distribution. The repression of civil society and independent media, as well as the absence of political space for open debate, is intended to perpetually silence criticism of the authorities and diminish opportunities for the review and reform of the DPRK’s political system and human rights practices.  

The DPRK’s role in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is underpinned by its robust forced labor system and other human rights violations, many of which amount to crimes against humanity. The DPRK government’s policy of forced military conscription, which in some instances may amount to slavery under international law, means that many North Korean soldiers may be unwittingly abetting and/or perpetrating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Furthermore, by prioritizing its illicit nuclear and missile programs over the welfare of its people, the DPRK government has heightened risks to international peace and security. 

The forced repatriation of refugees and asylum seekers by neighboring states has left these populations at grave risk of internment, torture, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), enforced ​​disappearance or execution. SGBV in the DPRK is not incidental but a systematic tool of state repression, embedded within broader patterns of indoctrination, discrimination and persecution against women and girls.  

RISK ASSESSMENT:

• • • Authoritarian government and the absence of any checks on the power of the DPRK leadership. 

• • • Impunity for past and ongoing atrocity crimes enjoyed by the DPRK government. 

• • • Record of serious violations of International Human Rights Law and customary international law. 

• • • Economic instability, poverty and famine, all of which are exacerbated by government policies. 

• • • Significant capacity to commit atrocities, especially against detainees, women, persons with disabilities and children. 

NECESSARY ACTION: 

The DPRK authorities must allow for the return of international humanitarian organizations and guarantee rapid and unhindered access to vulnerable populations. Neighboring states have a responsibility under international law to provide safe passage out of the DPRK for civilians at risk of human rights violations and likely international crimes and should strictly adhere to the principle of non-refoulement. The Chinese government should permit the UN Refugee Agency access to all detained North Korean refugees. 

The international community’s legitimate pursuit of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula should not overshadow the need to uphold the universal human rights of all Koreans. Any negotiations on rapprochement with the DPRK should aim to address ongoing human rights violations and abuses. The DPRK government should fully cooperate with OHCHR and allow entry to the Special Rapporteur.  

UNSC members should act on the recommendations made by the CoI and other relevant human rights mechanisms and offices, including by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court and imposing targeted sanctions against those responsible for or complicit in crimes against humanity, regardless of the position of the alleged perpetrator. States must ensure that all prevention and accountability efforts are grounded in a gender-sensitive lens that reflects the diverse experiences and needs of affected populations. 

For more on the Global Centre’s advocacy work on the situation in DPRK, see our DPRK country advocacy page.