Is Political Activism a Viable and Effective Form of Protest for Human Rights in North Korea?

North Korea is notorious for being one of the most repressive and secluded nations in history. During the twenty-first century, this country has pushed to secure nuclear weapons and has become a national security threat (CIA World Factbook). This being said, the main topic of conversation about North Korea needs to be shifted from war to something that sheds light on the repressed citizens that suffer their whole lives in this regime. The real people suffering in this global conflict are those trapped in the conditions of North Korea. For the betterment of those individuals and for the safety of national security; this issue needs to be taken seriously and productive action needs to be taken immediately.

The current human rights status in North Korea needs to change first and foremost. Women specifically suffer from a range of sexual and gender-based abuses in particular (Smith, Hazel). Schools favor men in leadership roles, and girls are socialized to be subordinate to them. Women face even greater difficulty when trying to apply for college, as only so few colleges even accept women. Women are not allowed certain positions in the military, and the state government refuses to protect anyone facing sexual abuse or misconduct. Additionally, the government can force women to have abortions and determine whether or not a family is eligible to raise children in the first place (Fifield, Anna). Children (in general) are forced to perform some sort of unpaid labor for the state up through adulthood. When men and women graduate from secondary school, they are not allowed to choose their own job. Failing to show up to work is punishable by law in the form of four to ten months in forced labor camps. The conditions of these work camps are comparable to Nazi concentration camps, says previous North Korean defector Kang Cholhwan; in fact, the works camps were proven to be indirect products of Nazism and contained very similar practices. Prisoners wake up at 5-AM and are forced to work enduring physical labor until sunset. During this time, they are beaten, interrogated, abused, and tortured by government officials. ‘Re-education’ camps force their prisoners to memorize speeches from Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il (Roth, Kenneth).

On the beneficial side of things; defectors over the years from Korea provide critical insight as to how the government operates behind the border, and what other countries can do to help improve the situation in North Korea. This exact issue, in particular, has caught enough traction in South Korea for activists to gather and argue for pushing better human rights in North Korea. Korean dialogue between the two states and economic pressure from South Korea could be an effective way of realistically achieving this goal, as studied by Dr. Danielle Chubb, who specializes in studying International Relations at Deakin University. One of North Korea’s previous elite class members Thae Yong-ho spoke to time in an interview reviewing the current political strategy from Trump’s administration. He applauded the fact President Trump met with Kim Jong-Un, however, he was concerned Trump “has not taken significant measures to stop some of the risks North Korea poses” (Yong-ho, Thae).

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In today’s world, the emphasis is much more on conflict and drama than it is a productive conversation and proper engagement between the United States and North Korea. While President Donald Trump’s June 12, 2018 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was arguably a step in the right direction, his immature tweets and direct insults to the leader impose risks on millions of innocent civilians. This current attitude the United States has carried over in legislation. Imposing financial sanctions is irrelevant and only ends up hurting the general population even more. This increases the risk of North Korea becoming aggressive. Overreaching in financial sanctions can backfire and turn into a war. In fact, MIT Security Studies Program conducted an analysis that targeted measuring the effectiveness of financial sanctions, being that they have become increasingly more prominent in today’s political arena (as opposed to taking a different route of action) (MIT). This study concluded that these sanctions ten potential unintended consequences that negatively affect the United States. This is absolutely unacceptable, as economically restricting North Korea will only give them more of a reason to never give up their nuclear program. Furthermore, none of these sanctions have actually proved anything right. As sanctions have become stronger over the years, their nuclear program and missile reach capabilities have grown. Put another way, the horse is already out of the barn. It’s too late to try and stop North Korea from becoming a nuclear threat. In order to start a productive conversation, the United States needs to start viewing North Korea as a viable nuclear threat, and the only way to lessen this threat is to move towards a positive future.

A complete re-evaluation of the current sanctions and imposed tariffs on North Korea needs to take place, as all policies should reflect the attitude to do a number of important things simultaneously to ensure safety and positive change. Currently, the lack of consensus about goals for the future of North Korea is evident in both Congress and the executive branch. Current legislation supports completely opposing goals, which is extremely counterproductive. The United States needs to coerce North Korea to open dialect, from which we can then productively converse and bargain for certain economic sanctions to be lifted in turn for an increase in human rights conditions inside the country. The United Nations also needs to be harsh on punishment for violations of human rights if the conversation doesn't persuade North Korea to change.

This old ‘attitude’ needs to change. Not only to save those millions of lives outside of North Korea, but to save millions of innocent lives inside of North Korea that is being held captive. The United Nations Panel needs to respond to the violation of North Korean human rights. While doing this, they should also focus on providing incentives to adhering to orders, such as repealing certain previously imposed economic sanctions. After these systems have been implemented, their effects need to be analyzed. If this does not work, further action needs to be taken in the form of attacking what the government fears most. The government wants to prevent defection. They fear that if many people start to defect, a unification will result in power shifting to the citizens. Therefore, the focus is emphasized on keeping the border shut. Furthermore, the government wants to prevent North Koreans from having access to outside information. The more North Korean citizens know, the more dangerous it is for the government.

Works Cited

1. Fifield, Anna. 'Sanctions Are Hurting Aid Efforts — and Ordinary People — in North Korea'. Asia Pacific, Nov.-Dec. 2017. The Washington Post, Sanctions are hurting aid efforts—and ordinary people—in North Korea. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.
2. Hazel, Smith. 'Crimes against Humanity?' Critical Asian Studies, vol. 46, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2014. Academic Search Premier, doi:10.1080/14672715.2014.863581. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
3. Mount, Adam, and Andrea Berger. International Study Group on North Korea Policy. Issue brief no. 1, FAS, 5 May 2018. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), fas.org/wp-content/uploads/media/FAS-DPRK-SG.pdf. Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
4. Park, John, and Jim Walsh. 'Stopping North Korea, Inc.: Sanctions Effectiveness and Unintended Consequences'. Academic Search Premier, Aug. 2016, http://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/Stopping%20North%20Korea%20Inc%20Park%20and%20Walsh%20.pdf. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.
5. Roth, Kenneth. 'North Korea Human's Rights Watch'. Human's Rights Watch, 12 June 2018, http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/north-korea Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.
6. Yeo, Andrew I. 'Alleviating Misery: The Politics of North Korean Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy'. North Korean Review, vol. 10, no. 2, 2014, pp. 71–87. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43908942.
7. https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_CRII_049_0037--defector-politics-the-political-activism.htm
8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/with-food-and-facts-carried-in-bottles-activists-try-to-penetrate-isolated-northkorea/2018/04/23/abbe2582-438e-11e8-baaf-8b3c5a3da888_story.html