We regularly engage in human rights advocacy at United Nations bodies in New York and Geneva. For many years, we have worked to build international support for key initiatives, including UN resolutions on North Korean human rights, the appointment of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, and the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI). To support North Korea’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), we have also provided field-based information on the situation in North Korea to experts at the UN Human Rights Council, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
In addition, to seek clarification on the fate of South Koreans abducted during and after the Korean War, we interview the families of abductees and submit petitions on a regular basis to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID). More recently, we have launched international advocacy initiatives to pursue accountability for crimes against humanity in North Korea linked to global supply chains.
We also carry out diverse solidarity activities to raise awareness of North Korea’s dire human rights situation among governments, international organizations, and civil society—particularly NGOs in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Furthermore, we are building networks with young activists interested in North Korean human rights, amplifying their participation and voices, and cultivating the next generation of human rights advocates to ensure that the cause of North Korean human rights continues into the future.
- UN and International Advocacy
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Since 1997, we have carried out a wide range of advocacy initiatives aimed at the United Nations and foreign governments to draw international attention to the human rights violations taking place in North Korea. As a result of these efforts, the UN Commission on Human Rights adopted its first resolution on North Korean human rights in 2003, and in 2004 the UN appointed its first Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea.
Following these milestones, we began to host international conferences, provide briefings at UN bodies and treaty-monitoring mechanisms, and organize special sessions at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, bringing detailed information about North Korea’s human rights situation to UN member states. In 2013, these efforts contributed to the establishment of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Today, we work closely with the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea as well as experts across various UN monitoring bodies and special procedures. We also continue to submit petitions to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on behalf of South Koreans abducted during and after the Korean War.
Through this broad engagement with the UN, we ensure that the international community continues to monitor North Korea closely, pressing for reforms in its legal and judicial systems, and ultimately, the improvement of human rights conditions inside the country.
- Achievements in International Advocacy
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- 2003 – Conducted lobbying efforts that led to the adoption of the very first UN resolution on North Korean human rights at the UN Human Rights Commission (now the UN Human Rights Council).
- 2004 – Intensified UN advocacy, contributing to the establishment of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea.
- December 2012 – Met with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, urging her to prioritize North Korean human rights as a top agenda item.
- January 14, 2013 – UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay publicly expressed her intent to call for an investigation into crimes against humanity committed in North Korea.
- 2013 – Carried out lobbying campaigns with governments worldwide for the adoption of the UN resolution that created the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the DPRK. The COI report later concluded that crimes against humanity were being committed in North Korea and recommended referral of North Korean authorities to international judicial mechanisms.
- 2014 – Mobilized support in Geneva and New York to secure adoption of resolutions at both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, incorporating the findings of the COI report, which for the first time called for legal accountability of the North Korean government.
- 2014 – As a result of close engagement with the COI, its report was officially discussed for the first time at the UN Security Council, marking a historic milestone in UN deliberations on North Korean human rights violations.
- 2005, 2017 – Submitted NKHR’s research reports to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and provided expert briefings.
- 2009 – Submitted reports and briefings to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
- 2010, 2014, 2019, 2024 – Participated in North Korea’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) processes by submitting reports, recommendations, and providing briefings to member states.
- 2021 – Successfully introduced the issue of human rights abuses against South Korean POWs and their descendants into the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on North Korean human rights.
- 2023 – Advocated for the Republic of Korea’s accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and continue to push for the enactment of domestic implementation legislation.
- Domestic and International Campaigns and Solidarity Networks
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NKHR has been actively engaged in diverse campaigns and solidarity activities to build a broad base of support for North Korean human rights. We are a member of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). In collaboration with these international coalitions, we participate in joint campaigns, events, and international conferences, addressing global human rights issues such as arbitrary detention and statelessness. We also work together to raise awareness and seek solutions to the issue of enforced disappearances perpetrated by the North Korean government.
Domestically, NKHR cooperates with various civil society organizations to promote North Korean human rights, develop policies for North Korean defectors resettled in South Korea, assist North Korean refugees in third countries, and seek accountability for victims of abductions. We organize forums with victims of human rights violations, and when necessary, hold press conferences or demonstrations. We also submit petitions and work with the government to pursue solutions. Additionally, we conduct fundraising activities for North Korean refugees and organize awareness-raising events with volunteers to improve public understanding of North Korean human rights.
- Accountability Project for North Korean Crimes Against Humanity
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NKHR is carrying out international advocacy initiatives aimed at ensuring accountability for crimes against humanity committed within North Korea’s international supply chains and trade. To this end, we collaborate with Partners in Justice (PJI), an organization specializing in international criminal law and transitional justice, to conduct in-depth investigations into the links between crimes against humanity perpetrated by North Korean entities and global supply chains. The findings are organized and analyzed in accordance with international criminal law standards.
In partnership with PJI, NKHR has also conducted legal education sessions and mentoring programs for human rights activists and legal professionals, with the goal of strengthening capacity for future international trials. Furthermore, we have expanded the foundation for this discussion by holding meetings with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions.
- Empowering Next-Generation Youth Leaders for North Korean Human Rights
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We are committed to building networks that expand youth participation in the field of North Korean human rights and amplify their voices. By providing opportunities for young people interested in North Korean human rights to come together, share experiences, and collaborate, we aim to foster the next generation of human rights activists.
Through these efforts, we ensure that the issue of North Korean human rights will not be forgotten but carried forward, while cultivating future experts who will lead the movement for North Korean human rights in the years to come.
