The United Nations Human Rights Office has reported that North Korea has tightened control over nearly every aspect of its citizens’ lives during the past decade, with surveillance now described as “more pervasive” than anywhere else in the world.
The report, based on 300 interviews with recent escapees, concluded that “no other population is under such restrictions in today’s world.”
UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, warned that unless the situation changes, North Koreans will continue to endure “suffering, brutal repression and fear” that have marked their lives for decades.
According to the report, at least six new laws introduced since 2015 allow for the death penalty, including for the act of distributing foreign media content. Escapees testified that public executions by firing squad have increased since 2020.
One defector, Kang Gyuri, who fled in 2023, recounted how three of her friends were executed simply for watching South Korean television shows. “He was tried along with drug criminals. These crimes are treated the same now,” she explained.
Interviewees also spoke of worsening hunger and harsher restrictions since Kim Jong Un abandoned international diplomacy in 2019 to concentrate on weapons development. A woman who escaped in 2018 reflected: “In the early days of Kim Jong Un, we had some hope, but that hope did not last long. The government gradually blocked people from making a living independently, and the very act of living became a daily torment.”
The report further revealed that poor citizens and even orphans are being forced into hazardous labor as part of state-run “shock brigades.” At least four political prison camps remain in operation, where torture and deaths from abuse are common, though there has been a “slight decrease in violence by guards.”
The UN urged North Korea to abolish prison camps, halt executions, and provide citizens with education on human rights. It also called for the situation to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
“Our reporting shows a clear and strong desire for change, particularly among North Korea’s young people,” Türk emphasized.
