North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is an isolated country in the Korean peninsula. It is bordered by China to the north and South Korea to the south. It has the Yellow Sea to its west and the Sea of Japan to its east. It is a country the size of Greece, with a population of 23 million. It is one of the most despised countries in the world. It was created after the Korean War, a line was drawn through the 38th parallel, and roughly divided Korea in half. North Korea is a Neo-Stalinist country, with an awful economy and a horrible political system. Its economy is based off socialism, so the government controls everything. It also has the world’s 4th largest military, roughly numbered at 1,200,000 men. North Korea is a complete totalitarianism, where everyone has been brainwashed to love the leader to death. Anyone who speaks against the regime is put in a political prison if they said something against the government, and if they spread those ideas, then they will be taken to a detention center and tortured to death. North Korea has the world’s poorest countries. Its total GDP is 28.2 million, to put that in perspective that is roughly Canada’s military budget. It’s GPD per captia is 1,224$, to put that is perspective; in Canada that is how much parents spend on their children’s toys in a year. In order to keep a country as bad as this from turning against its leaders, there needs to be oppression and control over everything. This is where the Human Rights issues come into play. Since North Korea breaks so many Human Rights, it would be impossible to go over them all, so I am just going to over the main ones.
The right to exist is the concept that everyone has the right to live unless they broke a law which dictates that they must be killed. In North Korea, anyone who speaks out against the government is automatically sent to an extermination camp. Also in North Korea, anyone who is born disabled is killed off in order to prevent contamination. People who become disabled are also killed. Anyone with autism or related diseases is also killed. Public executions are also a common thing. There is nothing wrong with private executions, as some people should not be kept alive, but public executions are wrong because they let the person’s family and friends see them die. Also there have been occasions, such as in 1987, where North Korean agents have killed hundreds of people in attempts to bring fear to the hearts of the world. In 1987, North Korean agents planted a bomb on Korea Air flight 858, killing all of the 115 passengers on board. On November 23rd, 2010 North Korea launched an artillery strike against the South Korean Island of Yongpyong. The artillery strike killed 2 marines and 2 civilians, while in North Korea hundreds of people are killed every day because they spoke out against the government.
The right to work for anyone and the right to own property are 2 things which are completely abolished by this government. Reason being is that in a communist country, you have to work for the government, because there is no private industry. The right to own property is also completely abolished, because everyone is equal, and no one is allowed to own anything. Only the leaders own houses, sports cars and so on, that’s because all of the government spending is controlled by the head of state.
The right to think freely is the right to have your own mind, or to be able to think. This is not present in North Korea, as there is constant propaganda everywhere. Since birth, people are taught to love the leader no matter what. In kindergarten, kids are forced to sing, read and write about the leader. This has gotten so bad that some people think that Kim-Jong-Il is god and can do things like control the weather, even though this clearly is wrong, and it does not take a genius to figure this out, as if the leader could really control the weather, he would it so that every year there is a good corps yield, but in recent years, North Korea was 33% malnourished. People are constantly bombarded by propaganda from every single aspect. There are images of Kim-Jong-Il everywhere, and when you approach one, you have to bow, as if you are approaching a god. North Korea’s television is also state run, meaning the Government controls everything that the people see hear or touch, meaning that everyone there will only see things from 1 angle. Internet access is strictly prohibited to the general population, meaning they have no other news sources. Although all the propaganda might seem a bit far-fetched, if you were told the same thing over and over again, and had no other sources, you would believe it too, and if you don’t, then you will either be imprisoned or killed.
The right to fair trial is also nonexistent. What fair trial implies is that when a person is suspected of committing a crime, they will receive a trial, where everything said is the truth, and the jury decide whether you are guilty or not, and a Judge sentences you whatever he feels necessary, as long as the sentence abides by the criminal code. In North Korea, this is non-existent because there is no Jury, Judge or Lawyer. The leader is the Jury, Judge and Executioner. People of higher class can take anyone who they don’t like, and say that they committed a crime. Without any trial, the accused are sentenced to whatever punishment the higher class feels like.
Human rights are a big issue in North Korea, and should be addressed, but can't, because North Korea does not care about it's people.
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