 By Timothy Goo, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern August 6, 2020 Between December 1959 and July 1984, more than 93,000 ethnic Koreans living in Japan returned to Supreme Leader Kim Il-sung’s communist state, North Korea, in hopes of securing a better future for themselves.[1] The assistance provided by the North Korea-affiliated General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, an organization that gained the support of more than 90% of ethnic Koreans in Japan and was often referred to as chongryun in Korean or soren in Japanese, allowed the regime to deceptively publicize itself as “paradise on Earth.”[2] One of the most effective forms of propaganda was distributing an image that included beautiful women removing luscious apples from a tree while surrounded by North Korea’s “modern” cityscapes.[3] Considering how the ethnic Korean population historically endured an arduous life in Japan due to pervasive ethnic discrimination, an absence of civil rights, and limited educational opportunities, one can deduce that this campaign motivated many Koreans to relocate to North Korea.
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Indoctrination in the Name of Education: A Tool for Maintaining the North Korean Dictatorship8/4/2020  By Hayoung Paik, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Camille Freestone, HRNK Research Intern August 4, 2020 Since its establishment, North Korea has prioritized free access to education at all levels. Similar to many other socialist countries, education has been a key tenet of forming and stabilizing North Korea’s socialist system. The number of years of compulsory education has gradually been extended since 1956, and the current Universal 12-year Compulsory Education system, which has been implemented under the Kim Jong-un regime, guarantees free compulsory education for all children ages 5 to 17.[1] North Korea has boasted about this system internally and externally as “the longest free and compulsory education in the world” and used it to propagandize the superiority of the socialist system.[2] However, we should not overlook the true nature and role of education in North Korea: it is the front line of ideological indoctrination and the most effective tool for ensuring the totalitarian regime’s survival. The North Korean education system itself should be considered a human rights infringement. Identities Lost: North Korea’s Human Rights Violations Against Individuals with Disabilities8/3/2020  By Emily Spaugh, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern August 3, 2020 All around the world, the fight for equal rights for people with disabilities is an uphill and seemingly endless battle. Even in developed countries, people with disabilities are often overlooked and undervalued. In any conversation about human rights, bringing people with disabilities to the table is imperative. In a situation as dire as the one in North Korea, it is almost unthinkable what someone with a disability may have to endure at the hands of the Kim regime, as they are one of the most vulnerable demographics in the world.  By Junsoung “Steve” Kim, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Benjamin Fu, HRNK Research Intern July 28, 2020 North Korea and China are close allies in terms of socio-economic development, and China's growing influence over North Korea and the international community has made it hard for the United States and its allies to reach valid agreements with North Korea.[1] There is strong evidence of bilateral trade between the two countries, such as oil transactions, which are illegal according to United Nations Resolution 2375.[2]  By Kathryn Wernke, HRNK Research Intern
Edited by Rosa Park, HRNK Director of Programs and Editor and Camille Freestone, HRNK Research Intern July 23, 2020 North Korea’s prison system is a vast network used to punish disloyalty and maintain the iron grip of the Kim regime on its people. It is, however, also a system rife with exploitation of women, in which abusers have an unknown, limitless number of victims and virtually no risk of punishment. According to the 2014 United Nations Commission of Inquiry report on North Korea, female prisoners face torture, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence amounting to crimes against humanity.[1] Due to the lack of sexual education, the societal stigma, and the unlikelihood of prosecution in North Korea, victims of this cruelty rarely report these crimes.[2] This leaves the women incarcerated in North Korea’s penal camps in an unending cycle of oppression and violence. |
DedicationHRNK staff members and interns wish to dedicate this program to our colleague Katty Chi. A native of Chile and graduate of the London School of Economics, Katty became a North Korean human rights defender in her early 20s. Katty was chief of international affairs with the North Korea Strategy Center (NKSC) in Seoul from 2010 to 2014 and worked with the Seoul Office of Liberty in North Korea (LinK) from 2019 to 2020. A remarkable member of our small North Korean human rights community, Katty brought inspiration and good humor to all. Katty passed away in Seoul this past May, at the young age of 32. She is survived by her parents and brother living in Chile. With the YPWP series, we endeavor to honor Katty’s life and work. Archives
August 2020
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