Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Korean article.
North Korea’s human rights situation has not improved over the past decade and has deteriorated significantly in some key areas, including the use of the death penalty, a senior U.N. human rights official told VOA.
James Heenan, representative of the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul, said concerns persist over political prison camps, restrictions on movement, and access to food and health care. “Our assessment is that the situation, particularly over the last decade, has overall not improved,” Heenan said during an October 22 interview in Washington. “In some key respects, it’s degraded significantly.”
He pointed to increases in both executions and the number of offenses punishable by death as a major concern.
Heenan also stressed the urgency of resolving longstanding enforced disappearance cases involving South Koreans, Japanese and citizens of other countries. Victims, relatives and alleged perpetrators are aging, narrowing the time available to establish what happened and pursue justice, he said.
He noted some anecdotal indications of reduced ill-treatment in detention, including accounts that central authorities had instructed personnel not to beat detainees. But he cautioned that such limited signs of improvement did not change the broader assessment.
Protecting North Korean POWs
Heenan also warned that repeatedly publishing the identities of the two North Korean prisoners of war held in Ukraine could increase risks to them and their relatives.
Even if they have been revealed before, it doesn’t allow people to reveal them again,” he said.
In North Korea, people perceived as having broken the law can face harsh punishment and that can extend to their families, Heenan said.
Asked about reports that the prisoners had been transferred from Ukraine to South Korea, Heenan said his office did not know the terms of the transfer agreement and had no access to the men.
“What I’ve said is based on public press reports,” he said.
He called for privacy protections and appropriate assistance, including mental health and psychosocial support.
“Their well-being needs to be the center of the story,” he said.
Forced returns and detention
Heenan also spoke to VOA about the issue of North Koreans who have escaped to China and are being forcibly returned to North Korea. He said authorities must first assess whether anyone repatriated could risk abuse or torture upon returning to North Korea.
The U.N. Convention Against Torture, which China ratified forbids returning anyone to a country where they could face a risk of torture. The rule is called "non-refoulement." China considers North Koreans who cross its border as economic migrants and returns them as part of an agreement with Pyongyang. Critics say this allows China to ignore its legal obligations against refoulment.
U.N. reporting has documented particularly severe punishment for returnees who expressed interest in reaching South Korea, embraced Christianity or had contact with Christian pastors.
Heenan said tighter border controls had reduced departures from North Korea, making conditions inside the country more difficult to assess.
He also raised concerns about South Koreans detained in North Korea, citing cases where they are denied consular access. He said there are also concerns about judicial fairness and the methods used to obtain evidence supporting convictions.
Building accountability
Heenan said that going forward it is necessary to set up a system that will hold North Korean officials accountable for abuses. He said that should include criminal trials and civil proceedings, as well as recognition of victims, truth-telling, compensation, and psychological support.
His office maintains a central repository database containing thousands of potential crimes in North Korea that could someday be used as evidence in future trials. Some information could be shared with countries that have appropriate jurisdiction over crimes committed abroad, he said.
Until those trials can happen, Hennan said the work of collecting and preserving evidence must continue. “It is laborious work,” he said. “But it’s a long-term goal.”