► North Korean human rights abuses continue to pose a serious international challenge. ► Behind the distractions of denuclearization and the luxurious life or funny hairstyle of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean human rights issue has been less consistently prioritized. The truth is that the regime’s appalling human rights record is often ignored or used as a negotiation tool. ► Historically, priority has b...

 ► A near-total lockdown imposed by the North Korean Government during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a confluence of pressing global problems, most notably the war in Ukraine, has put human rights, including the human rights situation in North Korea on the backburner. ► The RK’s Government renewed approach towards the DPRK is much needed. Apart from focusing on security and normalization of rel...

► The parlous state of human rights in North Korea has been a concern to the world’s established democracies for decades, across three iterations of the hereditary Kim regime. ►This is a story with two silver linings: first, the marketization of the North Korean economy; and second, the fostering of widespread international awareness of the normatively outrageous nature of the country’s repression of ...

► Recent actions by the South Korean government to address human rights abuses and concerns in North Korea and China signal a resolve to uphold liberal international norms. ► Whether a policy change towards North Korea will actually lead to an improvement in the human rights of North Koreans, which are dire and worsening still, or a change in the behavior of North Korea is another question. The answer is ...

►What is clear is that the North Korean regime has ignored the rights and freedoms of its people set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In comparison to other dictatorships, North Korea’s human rights situation is clearly more dire and serious. ►Since 2017, the North Korean economy has stalled as a result of international sanctions and COVID-19. In areas beyond Pyongyang and, especially amon...