Attachments
Human Rights Council
Fifty-eighth session
24 February–4 April 2025
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Summary
The present report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Elizabeth Salmón, is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 55/21. In the report, the Special Rapporteur provides an overview of the current human rights situation, the interlinkages among human rights, development and peace and security, building on her previous reports, and also provides an analysis of the overall approach of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to economic, social and cultural rights and relevant Sustainable Development Goals in relation to the normative content of human rights.
I. Introduction
1. It has been five years since the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea shut down its international borders in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Due to its prolonged isolation, the absence of international monitoring and the further restricted exchange of information, the human rights situation of people in the country, particularly their access to basic services, is a serious concern. The country has been engaging with United Nations mechanisms to a certain extent and reported on its policies and progress in the context of the voluntary national review in June 2021 and the universal periodic review in November 2024. In the present report, relying on the Government’s reports and information from escapees, civil society organizations and the United Nations, the Special Rapporteur delves into the systematic approach of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to economic, social and cultural rights and to development, both of which are closely linked to peace and security. In section III, the approach to basic services is analysed in terms of sustainable development, particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In section IV, it is examined in terms of the State’s compliance with economic, social and cultural rights based on normative content, including availability, accessibility and quality. The focus is on four central rights: to adequate food, health, education and water and sanitation. The approaches to development and to economic, social and cultural rights are mutually reinforcing and overlap in many areas.