HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

IN NORTH KOREA

Nina Foch Zurich International School Grade 8 English J8 Summit 2012

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN NORTH KOREA We are all born with a certain number of human rights. These rights stay with us throughout our lives. But the world still struggles with this. Some people find it difficult not to reach for the power and to care for more than themselves. North Korea is one example of a country that has difficulties with the subject of civic rights. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a communist state with a one man dictatorship. The president Kim Il Sung failed to unite with South Korea in the war between the two parts. It gained its independence from the Japanese in 1945 and is now an independent kingdom (Asian Info). Over the years it has stayed an independent country which keeps its borders closed. Kim Il Sung was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Il in 1997, who died only in December 2011 (BBC). His son, Kim Jong Un, is currently the ruler of North Korea. North Korea is trying to keep a secret of the horrifying concentration camps, the political oppression and the peoples lack of free will. The dictatorship contributes to the human rights violations because the way the country is ruled limits the citizens freedom, doesnt allow them to move away, and punishes people in inhuman ways. This all violates human rights (UDHR). The citizens of North Korea have never known any better than to follow the rules and to never express themselves. Generally, the people in this country are taught to stay silent and never speak up for something that is wrong. For instance, a young girl who had escaped from the most by poverty affected areas had said, I grew up seeing people getting sick and dying from eating grass (National Geographic). Yet she had no way of expressing her emotions towards this. She could not speak up because she was afraid of what the government might do. Furthermore, no one may express themselves in religious ways. Some temples do remain open for tourists to see, but ones who practice religions differing from Buddhism and Confucianism, are secretly spied on and are placed into labor camps (New York Times). Finally, the internet and communication with other countries are extremely limited, it is almost banned. Not many people can afford a computer, but just to be certain, monitors in these devices make sure no one communicates with the rest of the world. As a conclusion, North Korea limits human freedom to the extremes, and obviously does not care about its peoples need for basic rights.

North Koreans have one right, the right to belong to a country, but only one country. First of all, citizens cannot cross borders; they must stay in the same country their entire life. If, because of the harsh living conditions, citizens who are fleeing the country to China, are caught in the act, they are either placed in labor camps or executed. It is not only the government that serves as an obstacle in the escape, but most women who are fleeing, are trafficked and sold. Secondly, the people cannot freely move about within North Korea itself. As a citizen, you may not move around or leave your city without permission. Last, North Koreans cant go on holiday without receiving permission from the government either. As a matter of fact, most people have never been outside the border of their city. Even tourists that visit North Korea cannot visit all places. Hence, another right that is strongly violated is the right to freely move around and live wherever you desire. Once the government thinks you have committed an apparent crime against the government, you will have no privacy, unfair detainment and not even a trial to prove your innocence. In the first place, once the government suspects the violation of a crime, there will be video cameras, audio recorders and other devices placed in your home and on your clothes. Just in the same way, you will be held in a prison camp together with your family and have almost no means to escape. More than two hundred thousand political prisoners and their families are held in isolated camps in the northern mountains, where they work 12 hours a day, 7 days of the week (Amnesty International). Besides that, there will be no trial to prove that you are innocent if you are accused. Once the government sees you as a threat, they will imprison you no matter what. In final conclusion, there is cruel treatment to people in North Korea, which violates many human rights. All people in the world have rights, but some people are not treated like they have any. One country that treats its citizens like this is North Korea. It limits every single human right on the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This is a cruel and dreadful way to treat people anywhere in the world. It is also an issue this earth should take into deep consideration, and definitely make an effort to resolve.

WORKS CITED Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. May 2012 <http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights/universal-declaration-ofhuman-rights/articles-1-15.html>. National Geographic O'Neil, Tom. "Escaping North Korea." National Geographic. May 21 2012 <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/north-korea/oneill-text>. BBC North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies 'of heart attack'. 19 December 2011 BBC. May 2012 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16239693>. Amnesty International North Korea Human Rights. Amnesty International. May 2012 <http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/north-korea>. Asian Info Korea's Colonial Period. AsianInfo.org. May 2012 <http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/history/colonial_period.htm>. New York Times "North Korea News." The New York Times. May 24 2012 <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/northkore a/index.html>.