The government’s annual report on North Korean human rights, submitted to the National Assembly as mandated by the North Korean Human Rights Act, has been significantly downsized compared to previous administrations.
According to the Ministry of Unification on Tuesday, this year’s report has been reduced from 20 pages to just 5 pages, excluding the cover and table of contents. Unlike the previous administration, the Ministry did not inform the media about the report’s submission to the National Assembly or its contents.
Furthermore, while last year the Ministry convened an in-person meeting of the North Korean Human Rights Policy Council prior to the report, this year it only conducted a written review.
This year’s report indicates that since launching a survey on North Korean human rights conditions in 2017, the Ministry has investigated and documented the human rights situations of 3,919 North Korean defectors as of the end of July this year.
The first page of the report outlines the human rights conditions of North Korean residents, while the second page details the progress in promoting North Korean human rights. This is a notable condensation compared to last year’s report, which devoted four pages to the results of investigations involving 188 individuals.
The remaining three pages cover support for civil society organizations, operations of the North Korean Human Rights Advisory Committee, and efforts to raise international awareness of North Korean human rights issues.
The obligation to report on the status of North Korean human rights promotion was established by the North Korean Human Rights Act, enacted in 2016. Article 15 of the Act stipulates that the Minister of Unification must report to the National Assembly on specific matters regarding the promotion of North Korean human rights, in addition to reporting on the basic and execution plans, before the regular legislative session.