By Seunghyun Nam In the past month, North Korea has conducted a record-breaking number of weapons tests that were reported to be simulations of nuclear attacks on key South Korean targets. North Korea has conducted 40 missile launches this year alone, compared to only eight last year. Hints of the country’s spate of drills began in January, when it kicked off the year by test-firing an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The launch was accompanied by a series of shorter-range tests and its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test since 2017, when regional tension was at its peak. On October 4, 2022, North Korea launched another ICBM over Japan, breaking the record for its longest-range missile test. North Korea also fired hundreds of artillery shells in the maritime buffer zones near the South Korean borders, heightening tensions in the peninsula. With the series of weapons testing and the country’s recent revision of its nuclear laws to allow preemptive attacks, there is rising fear that it may resume its nuclear tests, which have been put to a halt since 2017. The two Koreas had maintained a steady relationship under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un and South Korea’s former president Moon Jae-In. The high-profile Inter-Korean Summit in 2018 marked a symbolic moment when the two leaders met for the first time in the demilitarized zone. They signed the Panmunjom Declaration, committing to peace, prosperity, and reunification of the two countries. But South Korea’s newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol—the former Prosecutor General and member of the conservative People Power Party—has been persistent in his hardliner approach to conflicts with North Korea, identifying the country as South Korea’s “main enemy”. In fact, the unprecedented number of drills in the past month have been in response to South Korea’s first full-scale joint military exercise with the US in years, which Yoon has been determined to bring back. The US-ROK joint exercises had either been scaled down or canceled in the past years, in light of the pandemic and efforts to continue peace talks with North Korea. The two weeks of missile testing were supervised by Kim Jong-Un. Since he assumed power as supreme leader in 2011, Kim Jong-Un’s political life has centered on consolidating North Korean military capabilities and establishing its title as a legitimate nuclear state. He has conducted over 160 missile tests, as opposed to only 30 by his father and grandfather. He also carried out four nuclear tests in five years, stepping up its nuclear strength with each successive test. But Kim Jong-Un’s military ambitions come at the expense of the country’s already suffering economy. The regime’s development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons has urged international condemnation. In an attempt to denuclearize North Korea, the UN Security Council and world powers including the US have imposed financial and economic sanctions on the state since 2006. The UN Security Council has passed multiple resolutions throughout the years, introducing tighter measures to ban the sale of arms, technology and materials that could be used for the development of weapons. The sanctions have also imposed heavy restrictions on foreign trade, enforcing measures to inspect international deliveries to North Korea. In response to the recent drills carried out by North Korea, South Korea also imposed unilateral sanctions on North Korea—its first in five years—followed by Japan, targeting North Korean trading firms and individuals. Targeted sanctions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a toll on the economy, with North Koreans suffering from severe food shortages and runaway inflation. Last year, the regime warned the population to get ready for a depressed economy measuring up to that of the Arduous March—an economic crisis from 1994 to 1998 that led to a period of mass starvation. The economic conditions exacerbated when the regime imposed a strict national lockdown in January 2020. North Korea was one of the first countries to seal its borders following its first case of COVID-19, which also curtailed its trade with China, its main trading partner. While the economic sanctions had indirectly affected the population by placing caps on goods such as gas, coal, and industrial machinery, the national lockdown had a direct impact on the country’s food shortages. Import of grains, farming equipment, and fertilizers was blocked, contributing to low crop yields and food insecurity. Food imports from China have also declined by 80 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels. North Korea has also increased its crackdown on citizens who have resorted to side jobs, as the government-assigned jobs are proving more difficult to provide for living expenses. Food prices have also skyrocketed following the national lockdown. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on its development of nuclear weapons and missiles. According to estimates by the US State Department, close to a quarter of its gross domestic product (GDP) is spent on the country’s military pursuit, with annual spending of $4 billion on average from 2009 to 2019. With each missile launch costing approximately $1 million, and nearly $1 billion to develop a complete weapon system, the regime’s military pursuit is a considerable burden for the country’s suffering economy.
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The Truth of North Korea - Propaganda, Torture, Mind Control & International Law in Numbers10/17/2022 Photo by Micha Brändli on Unsplash By : Anonymous
Even though there has been much controversy over the country, North Korea is still full of suffering people. North Korea is going through a severe human rights crisis. However, when talking about that situation, people usually generalize or state opinions without any facts. This is why there are not enough eyes witnessing the issues in North Korea because actual events and essential statistics haven't backed claims of human rights violations. This is a post where the HanVoice community of McGill highlights the reality in North Korea by describing actual events and fully supporting them with factual evidence. Police Brutality The North Korean government commits many brutal acts. One such act is the release of innocents into prison, with an average sentence being five years. Many did nothing wrong and were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. This was also a problem in communist Russia under Stalin. It's typical to see many street beatings in communist countries by government officials and police officers. Usually, when the police attack someone, witnesses aren't getting involved because there is too much fear of their offending the authority figure. In 2014 alone, an estimated 606 public executions were carried out in North Korea by firing squad. According to Amnesty International's report on North Korean human rights abuses in 2013: "The state has no plans to stop these abuses." Censorship North Korean censorship is the strict regulation of information and the suppression of speech within North Korea. The censorship, part of a more comprehensive piece of legislation called the Ten Principles for maintaining party discipline, is imposed on all media and publications imported into North Korea. The government has even gone as far as to ban all forms of media from entering the country, including print newspapers and books. North Koreans are not allowed to access the Internet or use a mobile phone; if they do, their actions could lead to severe consequences. There are cases where those caught using these devices have been executed. The censorship regulations prohibit any material critical of the North Korean government (especially its leaders) or that which might undermine its authority under the doctrine of the "Songun" (or "military-first") policy. In addition to restricting access to information, the North Korean government restricts access to foreign media outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. In 2018, Freedom House reported that North Korea was "one of the world's most repressive media environments." The organization found that over
Torture Torture is another widespread human rights violation in North Korea, as is forced labor. According to Amnesty International, "Torture and other ill-treatment in detention [are] widespread" and "[f]orced labor [is] used as a means of political control." The UN estimates that between 80,000-120,000 political prisoners are currently being held in North Korean labor camps where they face "unspeakable atrocities." Prisoners are forced to work at least 16 hours daily and are given only small food rations. Torture is common if anyone tries to escape or commits suicide. Political Corruption But, the government of North Korea has a long history of censorship and torture, as well as political manipulation in corruption methods. Transparency International's 2017 Corruption Perception Index ranks North Korea at 167th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption. The country also has one of the worst human rights records in the world, with a 2014 report from Amnesty International claiming that up to 200,000 people are estimated to be held in political prison camps. According to Amnesty International, "the government continues to carry out extensive campaigns of mass forced starvation and public executions. It has also forced hundreds of thousands of North Koreans into prison camps where they are subject to torture, beatings, and sexual violence. And it uses food as an instrument of control by restricting access to food aid as a reward for political loyalty or partaking in political indoctrination sessions." Concluding Remarks North Korea's human rights record remains a primary concern of the international community. Some would defend North Korea's abominable human rights record by saying the country maintains such tight control over its citizens because it fears they will overthrow its government. However, there is no escaping the fact that if North Korea truly fears its people, strict censorship and harsh punishments will not stop them. The only way to achieve peace in North Korea is through changes to the political system that allows its people to voice their concerns and vote for the leaders of their choice. Nonetheless, if the situation doesn't change, international organisations must act and help the oppressed people of North Korean origin. Sources: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea "Country chapter: North Korea", World report 2013, Human Rights Watch North Korea: Political Prison Camps – Amnesty International document on conditions in North Korean prison camps (May 2011) North Korea's Largest Concentration Camps on Google Earth – Satellite imagery and witness accounts of North Korean political prison and reeducation camps (2006–2008) Concentrations of inhumanity – Freedom House analysis of the phenomena of repression associated with North Korea's political labor camps (May 2007) North Korea: A case to answer – a call to act – Report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide to emphasize the urgent need to end mass killings, arbitrary imprisonment, torture and related international crimes (2007). |