외교안보연구소 발간자료

Promoting Human Rights in the DPRK: Recent Developments at the UN and Critical Tasks Ahead

Promoting Human Rights in the DPRK: Recent Developments at the UN and Critical Tasks Ahead

Promoting Human Rights in the DPRK: Recent Developments at the UN and Critical Tasks Ahead

북한

대한민국

1. Introduction  
2. Recent Developments at the UN: Discussion Points
3. Policy Implications

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration is actively pursuing a vision for a unified Korea where freedom and human rights are guaranteed by supporting initiatives to promote human rights for North Korean residents and enhancing domestic and international cooperation. To that end, the Yoon government appointed Professor Lee Shin-wha as Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights, a position that had been vacant for five years, to ensure the implementation of the North Korean Human Rights Act passed in 2016. It also revived the Council on North Korean Human Rights Policy Planning and established the Council on North Korean Human Rights Promotion to promote public discourse, citizen organization support, and opinion gathering for the advancement of North Korean human rights. Additionally, the Ministry of Unification released the “2023 North Korean Human Rights Report” for the first time on March 30, 2023, to actively raise awareness about the seriousness of the DPRK’s human rights issues.

Furthermore, the Yoon administration is scaling up efforts to consistently urge the North Korean regime to improve human rights and pursue accountability for human rights violations by cooperating with the international community. The Korean government under President Yoon participated in the 77th United Nations General Assembly resolution on North Korean human rights as a co-sponsor in November 2022 after a four-year absence. The Republic of Korea (hereinafter “ROK”) also returned as a co-sponsor for the 52nd United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on North Korean human rights in April 2023 after a five-year hiatus, participating in the preliminary discussions. At the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Republic of Korea actively raised the issue of North Korean human rights through two closed-door meetings in December 2022 and March 2023, as well as at an open meeting held on August 17, 2023.

Against this backdrop, this paper aims to review recent developments regarding the issues of North Korean human rights discussed at the UN and provide an international legal analysis of the key issues being discussed, including North Korea’s enforced disappearances and abductions as well as the issue of overseas laborers, to draw policy implications for the Republic of Korea.

* Attached File

IFANS PERSPECTIVES

윤석열

이신화

국제연합(UN)

통일부

유엔안전보장이사회(UNSC)

북한인권

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남승현 글로벌거버넌스연구부 부교수

남승현

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IP2023-06E

KOR