Promoting North Korean human rights:
closing the gap between rhetoric and action
Ethan Hee-Seok Shin [Legal Analyst, Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)]
► On August 18, 2023, the leaders of South Korea, the United States and Japan “commit[ted] to strengthening cooperation to promote respect for human rights in the DPRK and reaffirm[ed] a shared commitment to the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war” in a summit statement, dramatically entitled “The Spirit of Camp David”.
► However, translating rhetoric of North Korean human rights into action remains a challenge.
► What is necessary is the political will, not the technical or financial wherewithal. It is time for action at the UN and beyond to promote human rights in North Korea.
