The National Center for North Korean Human Rights, designed to build public consensus on North Korean human rights issues and increase international awareness, is scheduled to break ground this October.
According to documents obtained from the office of Representative Kim Geon, a member of the People Power Party serving on the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, preparations for the center’s construction are underway. The groundbreaking is targeted for October, with related procedures such as contract bidding in progress.
The National Center for North Korean Human Rights Construction Promotion Team has completed several key milestones: land acquisition in Magok-dong, Gangseo District, Seoul in January 2024; planning and design in August; intermediate design in November; detailed design in April this year; and securing building permits in June. The team aims to complete construction by the end of 2026.
The Ministry of Unification’s 2025 Key Business Promotion Plan, announced last January, initially scheduled the center’s construction to begin in the first half of this year. However, the planning, intermediate, and detailed design phases apparently required more time than anticipated.
Following the selection of the winning design in May last year, the center entered the design process. After each design phase, the team reviewed procurement appropriateness and completed procedures related to the total project cost with the Ministry of Finance. This month, they plan to undergo the Barrier-Free Living Environment (BF) certification process.
The advisory committee for the construction of the National Center for North Korean Human Rights has convened twice for general meetings, in April last year and May this year. Additionally, four working meetings were held in June and July last year to gather input on the center’s establishment.
The Ministry of Unification explains that the center will serve as the government’s first exhibition and experience space dedicated to North Korean human rights. It will function as a core hub for raising awareness about human rights conditions in North Korea, offer various experiential programs, and act as a platform for cooperation with the international community and civil society.
A revised Ministry of Unification directive from February, titled, Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the Autonomous National North Korean Human Rights Center Promotion Team, stipulates that the promotion team will dissolve immediately upon achieving its objectives. The team’s maximum operational period is set at six months from the date of establishment, with the possibility of a one-time extension.
In a related development, the government is considering discontinuing the Report on North Korean Human Rights, which has been published since 2018 to document human rights conditions in North Korea. This move is seen as part of a broader policy shift to avoid antagonizing North Korea over its long-standing human rights issues, following various conciliatory measures announced shortly after the Lee Jae-myung administration took office.
Critics have argued that the center’s establishment could unnecessarily provoke the North Korean regime, potentially complicating inter-Korean relations. However, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration maintains that the center will send a message of hope to North Koreans living under oppression and human rights violations.