An estimated 84,532 South Koreans were taken to North Korea during the Korean War. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted by North Korea, 489 of whom were still being held in 2006.
The Hankyoreh is a centre-left liberal daily newspaper in South Korea. It was established in 1988 after widespread purges forced out dissident journalists, and was envisioned as an alternative to existing newspapers, which were regarded as unduly influenced by the authoritarian government at the time. When it launched, it claimed to be "the first newspaper in the world truly independent of political power and large capital." As of 2016, it has been voted as the most trusted news organization by Korean journalists for nine consecutive years but also it is the least influential news outlet by the survey. It has online editions in English, Chinese, and Japanese.
The human rights record of North Korea is often considered to be the worst in the world and has been globally condemned, with the United Nations, the European Union and groups such as Human Rights Watch all critical of it. Most international human rights organizations consider North Korea to have no contemporary parallel with respect to violations of liberty.
Yodok concentration camp was a kwalliso in North Korea. The official name was Kwan-li-so No. 15. The camp was used to segregate those seen as enemies of the state, punish them for political misdemeanors, and put them to hard labour. It was closed down in 2014.
People defect from North Korea for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. North Koreans flee to various countries, mostly South Korea. In South Korea, they are referred to by several terms, including "northern refugees" and "new settlers".
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in North Korea. It is used for many offences such as grand theft, murder, rape, drug smuggling, treason, espionage, political dissidence, defection, piracy, consumption of media not approved by the government and proselytizing religious beliefs that contradict practiced Juche ideology. Owing to the secrecy of the North Korean government, working knowledge of the topic depends heavily on anonymous sources, accounts of defectors and reports by Radio Free Asia, a United States government-funded news service that operates in East Asia. The country allegedly carries out public executions, which, if true, makes North Korea one of the last four countries to still perform public executions, the other three being Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, but this has been disputed by some defector accounts.
Robert Park is a Korean-American missionary, musician, and human rights activist. A peace advocate and supporter of Korean reunification, he is a founding member of the nonpartisan Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea and a frequent columnist for South Korea's largest English newspaper, The Korea Herald. In December 2009 he was detained in North Korea for illegal entry after crossing the Sino-Korean border on Christmas Day to protest against the country's human rights situation. He was released in February 2010 after being detained for 43 days. He reported having suffered torture during his detention.
Prisons in North Korea have conditions that are unsanitary, life-threatening and are comparable to historical concentration camps. A significant number of inmates have died each year, since they are subject to torture and inhumane treatment. Public and secret executions of inmates, even children, especially in cases of attempted escape, are commonplace. Infanticides also often occur. The mortality rate is exceptionally high, because many prisoners die of starvation, illnesses, work accidents, or torture.
University of Sciences is a university located inside the region of the National Academy of Science in Pyongyang, North Korea. The university was previously called as "Institute of Natural Science". UOS is geographically located in Pyongsong, South Pyong'an Province, North Korea. However, North Korean government appointed the area of science district to belong to Pyongyang for giving some privileges of Pyongyang citizens to scientists of NAS and students of UOS. As Kim Il Sung, a former leader of North Korea, emphasized the significance of education for gifted and talented students, UOS originally started as a branch of Kim Il Sung University on January 17, 1962. It was separated from Kim Il Sung University in 1985. In North Korea, this university is known as "Sujae Daehark ". In South Korean mass media, this university is called "KAIST of North Korea".
The Lee Myung-bak government was the fifth government of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. It took office on 25 February 2008 after Lee Myung-bak's victory in the 2007 presidential elections. Most of the new cabinet was approved by the National Assembly on 29 February. Led by President Lee Myung-bak, it was supported principally by the conservative Saenuri Party, previously known as the Grand National Party. It was also known as Silyong Jeongbu, the "pragmatic government", a name deriving from Lee's campaign slogan.
Shin Suk-ja is a South Korean woman who is currently imprisoned, along with her daughters, in North Korea after her husband Oh Kil-nam defected from North Korea to Denmark, having been given a political asylum. The case received international attention, including Amnesty International's naming her a prisoner of conscience and campaigning heavily for her release; this appeal remains ignored by North Korean authorities.
In 2013, there were two major sets of cyberattacks on South Korean targets attributed to elements within North Korea.
North Korean studies is a sub-area of Korean studies. The number of researchers is comparatively small. The only fully dedicated institution to the study area is the University of North Korean Studies, Seoul, but many universities run undergraduate courses and postgraduate research programs.
After the Korean War, 333 South Korean people detained in North Korea as prisoners of war chose to stay in North Korea. During subsequent decades of the Cold War, some people of South Korean origin defected to North Korea as well. They include Roy Chung, a former U.S. Army soldier who defected to North Korea through East Germany in 1979. Aside from defection, North Korea has been accused of abduction in the disappearances of some South Koreans.
On March 4, 2015, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2207 on North Korea. The resolution extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which supports activities of the ‘1718 Sanctions Committee’, for one year to April 5, 2016.
Kim Sung-uk (Korean: 김성욱) is a South Korean journalist, political commentator, and North Korean human rights activist. As the president of the Korea Liberty Union and Jesus Wave Ministry, Kim has done work in educating the South Korean public, especially its youth, about North Korean human rights through lectures, books, and various public events. He has also appeared as a panelist on Korean TV networks Channel A and TV Chosun, where he discussed South Korean political issues and North Korean human rights.
Hambakdo or Hambaksom is an island in Yonan County, South Hwanghae, North Korea.
Immigration to North Korea occurs when Koreans and others move to North Korea and make it their permanent home. Often this is considered a defection because these immigrants have, in the terms of the Cold War, switched allegiance. This group is in contrast to the much larger group of North Korean defectors who have left North Korea.
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, that conducts data collection, analysis, and monitoring of human rights violations experienced in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. NKDB not only offers resettlement support, psychological counseling, and educational opportunities, but also advocates for human rights advancement and transitional justice of past human rights violations in the DPRK.
