More than 50 non-government organisations have signed a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, urging him to address the human rights situation in his country.
The letter, which comes ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Mr Kim next week and follows an historic meeting between Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April, says the organisations welcomed “increased dialogue” but adds they have “yet to see actions on the part of your government that would signal clear improvements in the lives of DPRK citizens or in their basic rights and freedoms”.
The letter – the 52 signatories of which include religious freedom advocacy Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Christian Concern – says that any “real, long-term resolution” of security issues on the Korean Peninsula “must include addressing the repressive rights record of your government and a strong commitment to fundamental and wide-ranging reforms”.
The organisations have urged Mr Kim to act on UN recommendations concerning human rights as well as the findings of a 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry which found the DPRK Government had committed “crimes against humanity”. They are also calling for him to take action to end and redress such practices as the use of forced labour, the abuse of people held in detention and prisons, the forcible separation of families and the abduction of people from foreign nations, and to prioritise the basic needs of people and accept humanitarian aid.
Benedict Rogers, CSW’s East Asia team leader, said it was “essential that the human rights crisis in North Korea, which the United Nations Commission of Inquiry described as ‘without parallel’ and as amounting to crimes against humanity, is addressed as part of engagement with the North Korean regime.”
“For that reason, we have come together with other human rights organisations around the world to send this letter to Kim Jong-Un, setting out the issues which he must address alongside denuclearisation if he wants to convince us that he is serious about change,” he said. “We urge him to address these concerns, and we call on the United States to ensure that these issues are on the agenda in the summit between President Trump and Mr Kim in Singapore next week.”
