Korea Future cited in the final report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea Inquiry

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea has cited our work and the oral submissions of evidence by our Co-Directors, Hae Ju Kang and Suyeon Yoo, in its final report of the Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in North Korea 2014-2020/1.

The findings of the Inquiry found that there is “evidence of [North Korean Government] officials being involved in: murder and killings; torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and sexual violence, sex trafficking, forced abortions and infanticide; modern day slavery; persecution based on religion or belief; and much more. The atrocities amount to crimes against humanity. However, there are reasons to believe that some of the atrocities reach the threshold of genocide, particularly in relation to three groups: Christians; half-Chinese children; and the ‘hostile’ group.”

The final report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea lists recommendations for the UK Government, including:

• “The UK must work with other States to ensure that the evidence of the atrocities in North Korea is preserved for future prosecutions. This could be achieved, for example, by establishing a mechanism akin to the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM);”

• “The UK must review the options for accountability for crimes in the DPRK, including the option of the UN Security Council referral to the ICC, or the UN Security Council establishing an ad-hoc tribunal, or States exercising their universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed in the DPRK;”

• “The UK must assess the three cases of possible genocidal atrocities, namely, against Christians, half-Chinese children and the ‘hostile’ groups, and identify actions to be taken in accordance with the duty to punish under the Genocide Convention;”

• “The UK must consider an action before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the DPRK for breaches of the Geneva Convention;”

• “The UK must make the best use of their Sanctions Regime to target individual perpetrators;”

• “The UK must work with other States to ensure greater coordination on Magnitsky sanctions against DPRK individuals and entities”.

We thank the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea, in particular the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce MP, and Lord Alton of Liverpool, for their timely and valuable contribution to ensuring future justice and accountability for international crimes in North Korea.