Ministry of Unification releases the 2024
Report on North Korean Human Rights,
revealing severe human
rights situations in North Korea
Public Executions for Watching and Distributing South Korean
Films and Music,
Punishment for Wearing White Wedding Dresses
as “Reactionary”
Ministry of Unification highlights the
first case of punishment under the
Law on Rejecting Reactionary
Thought and Culture
Mobile phones are frequently inspected for
use of South Korean-style language
Overseas workers characterized
as “modern day slaves,” with most wages paid to the authorities
The Government has included in its report the first case in which
North Korea has recently punished its residents with public execution
under the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture.
On June 27, 2024, the Ministry of Unification released the 2024
Report on North Korean Human Rights, featuring a case involving a
22-year-old man from South Hwanghae Province who was publicly executed
for listening to 70 South Korean songs, watching three movies and
distributing them to others.
The report draws on various testimonies from North Korean defectors,
underscoring how North Korean authorities actively enforce laws
including the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture (2020),
the Youth Education Guarantee Law (2021) and the Law on Protecting the
Pyongyang Cultural Language (2023) aimed at suppressing its residents.
Furthermore, North Korea has intensified its social education and
punishments under these three laws, which were designed to restrict
residents’ access to outside information, particularly targeting the youth.
Authorities frequently inspect residents’ mobile phones, checking
for contacts and any usage of South Korean language styles or
expressiσns, such as nicknames or abbreviations.
In particular, any non-socialist style is deemed “reactionary
ideology,” leading to severe punishments, including brides wearing
white dresses, grooms carrying brides at weddings, and the wearing of sunglasses.
As the designated agency for documenting human rights violation
cases under the North Korean Human Rights Act, the Center for North
Korean Human Rights Records has published the 2024 Report on North
Korean Human Rights, outlining the prevailing human rights situation
in North Korea.
As the second publication, this year’s report expands on last year’s
testimonies of 508 North Korean defectors by including investigations
of 141 additional defectors in 2023.
This report specifically sheds light on a range of human rights
abuses concerning issues including information control, forced
repatriation of North Korean defectors, overseas workers, as well as
political prison camps, abductees, detainees, and ROK prisoners of war.
To enhance public understanding of the status of North Korean human
rights, the Ministry of Unification has prepared both leaflet and
video versions of the report.
The leaflet highlights key testimonies depicting the reality of
human rights in North Korea. The video report features stories of
North Korean defectors, narrated by actor and Ambassador for North
Korean Human Rights, Yoo Ji-tae.
Both the leaflet and video reports can be accessed via a QR code on
the Ministry of Unification’s website, where the Korean version is
also available in e-book format.
Following the release of the 2024 Report on North Korean Human
Rights, the Ministry of Unification will use this opportunity to
organize follow-up events including the 2024 International Dialogue on
North Korean Human Rights, policy briefings for diplomatic missions in
the Republic of Korea, and various awareness campaigns to highlight
North Korean human rights issues globally.
