Human Rights and the Characteristics of the North Korean System
B. Human Rights Violations under Economic Hardship
third Party Delegate’s Conference was the first conference to be convened in 44 years. On November 23, 2010, North Korea fired artillery shells at Yeonpyeong Island, yet again escalating military tension between North and South Korea. In 2011, the North Korean regime sought to stabilize Kim Jong-un’s power by taking disciplinary action against powerful elites in the Party and government and continuing its coercive control over the people. North Korean authorities increased security against defection attempts around the border and heightened efforts to prevent outside information from entering the country.7 On December 17th of that year, Kim Jong-il suddenly passed away, leaving Kim Jong-un with an unstable political power base. After Kim Jong-il’s death, North Korea strived to stabilize its political system by pushing Kim Jong-un to the forefront.
These developments cast doubts on North Korea’s ability to facilitate the improvement of human rights and living standards during its power transition.
B. Human Rights Violations under Economic
55 economy. Even though North Korean citizens have no guarantee of their right to life, the most urgent and fundamental of all human rights, the government is concentrating its efforts on nuclear and missile development and the Party and government agencies are reinforcing their control over all sectors of society in order to maintain regime stability.
In the early 1990s, the overall factory operation rate in North Korea stood below 30% due to a shortage of energy and foreign currency. At this point, North Korea’s “planned economy”
was paralyzed, and some areas completely suspended the Central Distribution System.8On top of that, they suffered a series of natural disasters, including massive floods in 1995~1997. As a result, the already serious grain shortage further deteriorated. As the Central Distribution system was suspended, the hunger-stricken population began to move all over North Korea in search of food. The people stole grain and even tore up factories in search of parts to sell for food. During this time, several hundred thousand (or possibly as many as one million) North Koreans are estimated to have died from starvation,9and an increasing number of North Koreans began to cross the border into China. North Korea openly appealed for humanitarian assistance from the international community, and thanks to the humanitarian assistance provided by South Korea and UN organizations, North Korea’s food shortage was somewhat
8_North Korea’s economy recorded negative growth of -3.7% in 1990 and -5.2% in 1991, according to Bank of Korea (Seoul) estimates. See the Bank of Korea, Estimated North Korean GNP, 1994(Seoul: Bank of Korea, June 19, 1995).
9_South Korea’s Statistical Office estimated there were some 336,000 North Korean deaths during the famine between 1996 and 2000, along with a loss of about 99,000 potential new births. The number of deaths exceeding the normal death rate during the eleven years between 1995 and 2005 were estimated at about 482,000. See the Office of Statistics, An Estimate of North Korean Population, 1993- 2055(Seoul: Press Release, Nov. 22, 2010), pp. 12-13.
alleviated.
Following the inter-Korean summit meeting in June of 2000, North Korea tried to rehabilitate the economy by improving their relationship with Western nations. North Korea introduced some components of a market economy to their nation, but the execution was tentative and incomplete. The “July 1 Economic Management Improvement Measures,” announced on July 1, 2002, abolished the previous “price support” policy and allowed all commodity prices to reflect market values. The policy helped the economy function more like a market economy, and productivity increased in the agricultural, light, commercial and service industries. The July 1 measures were introduced to stabilize the poor economy by allowing some characteristics of a market economy to exist within the framework of North Korea’s planned economy.10 However, these measures did not solve the fundamental problem of supply shortages. When the North Korean economy began to show some signs of recovery in 2005, the North Korean authorities resumed food rations in some areas to recover the citizen’s confidence in the regime, but it was soon discontinued due to a lack of supplies.
After the first nuclear test on Oct. 9, 2006, North Korea’s economy sank back into negative growth due to international sanctions against the nuclear test. In May 2009, North Korea conducted a second nuclear test, resulting in the complete cutoff of all economic cooperation with Western countries and a sharp reduction in the international community’s humanitarian assistance to North Korea. As external economic activities shrank, the North Korean authorities launched a currency reform on Nov. 30, 2009
10_Unification Education Institute, Ministry of Unification, Understanding North Korea, 2010(Seoul: Unification Education Institute, 2010) pp. 164-165.
2012 영문인권백서 본문(1장) 2012.9.4 4:9 PM 페이지56
57 to increase their financial revenue and to reinforce their control over the struggling marketplaces.11Contrary to their expectations, however, this caused a jump in prices and exchange rates, leading to mounting public discontent. In response, the authorities relaxed the market controls again.
Meanwhile, after the sinking of the navy vessel Cheonan, South Korea suspended all inter-Korean economic cooperation except for the industries in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. When North Korea launched another unprovoked attack on Yongpyong Island in November 2010, South Korea suspended all economic cooperation with North Korea, including all humanitarian assistance projects.
The GDP growth rate of North Korea was -0.9% in 2009 and -0.5% 2010.12 The deteriorating economy caused public dissatisfaction with the regime to escalate, North Korean govern- ment determined that their most important goal for 2011 was improving the living standards of the North Korean people. The North Korean authorities sought economic growth by emphasizing the development and expansion of the light, coal, and agricultural industries, and it is presumed by the international community that some accomplishments have been made in these sectors over the past year. However, there is still much room for improvement when it comes to the living standards of North Koreans. The nation still suffers shortages of grains and other daily necessities.
The failed currency reform and consequent rise in prices negatively affected the living conditions of the lower class, who had little
11_Lim Kang-taek et al, An Overall Assessment of North Korean Economy, 2010 and Prospects for 2011 (Seoul: Korea Institute for National Unification, 2011).
12_Bank of Korea, Estimated Figure of North Korea’s Economic Growth Rate in 2010, p. 1, November 3, 2011.
access to food rations. According to a survey conducted by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as many as 6.1 million North Koreans are labeled “most vulnerable” in terms of access to food.13 More than 25% of the 24 million North Koreans suffer from malnutrition caused by food shortages. The physical growth rates of North Koreans are well below the norm, and they often fall prey to diseases such as tuberculosis. Furthermore, most North Koreans do not have access to medical treatment due to the ineffectiveness of the health care system.
13_World Food Programme (WFP)·Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO)·UNICEF, Rapid Food Security Assessment Mission to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (Special Report, March 24, 2011).
2012 영문인권백서 본문(1장) 2012.9.4 4:9 PM 페이지58
59