National Human Rights Commission Establishes Mid- to Long-Term Policy and Roadmap for Improving North Korean Human Rights

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has established a mid- to long-term policy and roadmap aimed at improving North Korean human rights across major issues including North Korean residents, Korean War prisoners of war, and separated family matters.

On the 13th, the Human Rights Commission held a press conference at the full commission meeting room in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing that "we have established a roadmap that lays the foundation for institutional improvement of North Korean human rights and sets up mid- to long-term implementation plans."

To this end, the commission commissioned the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University and conducted a six-month study beginning in May. Based on the results, the commission presented policies and implementation plans that the government can pursue, categorized by actors and issues.

The Human Rights Commission defined the scope of North Korean human rights to include residents within North Korea, defectors, separated families, abductees, and Korean War prisoners of war. It set goals for each of three stages and proposed major strategies and policies.

In the short term, it will focus on preventing human rights violations by North Korean authorities, such as political prisoner camps and public executions, aimed at Korean peninsula integration and fundamental improvement of North Korean human rights.

In the medium term, it will create conditions for infrastructure development within North Korea and induce changes in human rights concepts. In the long term, it will encourage transition to a human rights-friendly regime and substantially expand civil and information access rights.

Additionally, the roadmap includes ▲resolving issues of separated families and Korean War prisoners of war ▲establishing a system for regular family reunions ▲building a foundation for social consensus ▲establishing networks with domestic civic organizations and international human rights organizations across the political spectrum.

An official of the Human Rights Commission stated, "We will continue efforts to realize policy alternatives for improving North Korean human rights," and added, "We plan to continue investigation and policy research for substantial improvement of North Korean human rights situations and, when necessary, implement policy recommendations to our government regarding North Korean human rights issues."