Situation of human rights in the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea
A/RES/74/166
determines that a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea national is a national
of that Member State or a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea national’s
repatriation is prohibited, subject to applicable national and international law,
including international refugee law and international human rights law, the
Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America
regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations 18 and the Convention on the
Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 19 and urges the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea to promote, respect and protect the human rights of
workers, including workers repatriated to the Democratic People ’s Republic of
Korea;
(xii) Discrimination based on the songbun system, which classifies people on
the basis of State-assigned social class and birth and also includes consideration
of political opinions and religion;
(xiii) Violence and discrimination against women, including unequal access to
employment, discriminatory laws and regulations;
(b) The continued refusal of the Government of the Democratic People ’s
Republic of Korea to extend an invitation to the Special Rapporteur of the Human
Rights Council on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea or to extend cooperation to the Special Rapporteur and several other United
Nations special procedures, in accordance with their terms of reference, as well as to
other United Nations human rights mechanisms;
(c) The continued lack of acknowledgement by the Government of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of the grave human rights situation in the
country and its consequential lack of action to report on the state of implementation
of the recommendations contained in the outcome of its first 20 and second 21 universal
periodic reviews and to give consideration to the concluding observations of the treaty
bodies;
3.
Condemns the systematic abduction, denial of repatriation and subsequent
enforced disappearance of persons, including those from other countries, on a large
scale and as a matter of State policy, and in this regard strongly calls upon the
Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea urgently to resolve these
issues of international concern, in a transparent manner, including by ensuring the
immediate return of abductees;
4.
Underscores its very serious concern regarding reports of torture,
summary executions, arbitrary detention, abductions and other forms of human rights
violations and abuses that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea commits
against citizens of other countries within and outside of its territory;
5.
Expresses its very deep concern at the precarious humanitarian situation
in the country, which could rapidly deteriorate owi ng to limited resilience to natural
disasters and to government policies causing limitations in the availability of and
access to adequate food, compounded by structural weaknesses in agricultural
production resulting in significant shortages of diversifie d food and the State
restrictions on the cultivation of and trade in foodstuffs, as well as the prevalence of
chronic and acute malnutrition, particularly among the most vulnerable groups,
pregnant and lactating women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and
prisoners, including political prisoners, exacerbated due to lack of access to basic
services, including health care as well as water, sanitation and hygiene services, and
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18
19
20
21
19-22298
See resolution 169 (II).
Resolution 22 A (I).
A/HRC/13/13.
A/HRC/27/10.
7/11