Human Rights Violations in North Korea

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East Asian Civilizations Pre-Modern Era: Human Rights Violations in North Korea.
Human society has come a long way in developing laws, regulations and a civilized species capable of living in harmony and integration. This has been made possible by establishments of freedoms and rights written down in-state documents such as constitutions. It would suffice to say that many East Asian countries have followed suit of the human rights embracing trend; however, North Korea still seems to be lagging. It is common knowledge that the country is among the worst places. It appears that the government, together with its arms, has vowed to maintain the ancient nature of oppression, limitation and authoritarianism. This paper seeks to illustrate how North Korea has infringed on its people's freedoms and rights under the authoritarian or dictatorship government.
North Korea continues to be one of the most restrictive regimes on the planet. For more than six decades, the Kim family has dominated North Korea, especially its Supreme Leaders. President Kim Jong-un of North Korea has nearly complete political authority over the country. He has solidified his position by firing a large number of key executives and continuing to build up the country's nuclear arsenal. It is the notion of centralization that underpins the political structure of North Korea. According to the country's constitution, the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is granted legal primacy over all other political parties in North Korea, which describes the country as a tyranny of people's democracy. North Korea is one of the world's poorest countries; elite families control a large portion of the national resources and wield considerable power over the country's economy.[Human Rights Watch. "World Report 2019: Rights Trends in North Korea." 17 Jan. 2019, /world-report/2019/country-chapters/north-korea.]
First, the authorities have consistently imposed even more severe limitations on the liberties to movement and speech than they already had. The North Korean constitution has provisions that protect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. In reality, other provisions take priority, such as the need for residents to live a communist way of life, which is not often the case. Objecting to the government and its leaders is prohibited, and making such remarks may result in detention and deportation to one of the country's re-education camps. Furthermore, religious freedom in North Korea is virtually non-existent: the country is authoritatively an atheist state, and national policy persists in interfering with people's ability to practice their religion, even though the constitution guarantees explicitly religious freedoms and expression. The dictatorship has maintained its repression of the religious activities of unregistered religious organizations. When Christians, who are regarded as a representation of the West, are caught carrying Christian Bibles, they may either be killed or tortured. Apart from religious activity overseen by officially recognized organizations related to the government, North Korea views organized religious activity as a possible justification for undermining the regime's authority and destroying society as a whole. Many religious practices are carried out in secrecy. The government treats all opponents brutally, and individuals who participate in unofficial religious activities are often subjected to the most severe forms of retaliation. Persecuted the most are those who hold to the Christian religion, in particular.[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "North Korea." United States Department of State, 31 Mar. 2021, /reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/north-korea/.] [Human Rights Watch. "World Report 2019: Rights Trends in North Korea." 17 Jan. 2019] [Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "North Korea." 2021]
Citizens of North Korea are unable to access uncensored media or freely travel within the nation and overseas. Immigration and emigration are tightly regulated. Only the ruling establishment can own or rent vehicles, and the current regime restricts access to fuel and other modes of transportation due to constant scarcity of gas, diesel, crude oil, coal, and other natural gases as a result of the United States and other countries' crippling sanctions against North Korea. Relocation of residents and whole families is common, particularly as a form of punishment for political purposes. North Korean refugees fleeing to China are often forced to return to North Korea by law enforcement agencies, where they are severely assaulted and transferred to prison camps. This is due to the fact that the North Korean leadership views emigrants as defectors. This treatment is harsher when North Korean exiles have come into touch with South Korean-affiliated non-governmental groups or churches, particularly Christianity. When the North Korean authorities find connections between refugees and these NGOs, the refugees are subjected to torture and death upon their return to North Korea. Although North Korea's constitution guarantees press freedom, the government maintains tight control over all media outlets. The national media is almost totally devoted to political propaganda and the propagation of the government's cults of personality. The government provides all public broadcasting sets; people are not permitted to modify them to receive transmissions from o...