How Sincere is the South Korean Government About North Korean Human Rights?

[정일영]

[The Korean Odyssey]

Il Young Jeong

Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Human rights are recognized as the most important rights for us living in the modern era.

However, human rights remain controversial for us. Depending on perspectives and perceptions, human rights can be interpreted differently or even used as political tools. This means that it is not as easy as it seems to view and protect human rights as their intrinsic value. In this article, I aim to reveal how hypocritical and deceptive the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korean human rights policy is.

The Strange Concept of Human Rights Under the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration

Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, human rights, as a concept, are utilized with completely different values. In this administration, the term "North Korean human rights" itself is a symbol that stirs the heart. Under the noble value of North Korean human rights, President Yoon Suk-yeol and his entire administration position themselves as fighters for North Korean human rights.

However, if you remove the term "North Korea" from "North Korean human rights," the story changes. Especially in domestic contexts, the word "human rights" is perhaps the most taboo and disliked term by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Honestly, the Yoon administration is not friendly towards the concept of human rights. It is a widely known and shared sentiment. Even the administration itself seems awkward when discussing human rights.

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration appears to have a concept of human rights that is somewhat distant from general human rights or has its own unique understanding. This is evident in its suppression of labor groups, hysteria towards women's rights as seen in the dismantling of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, misunderstanding of youth rights, and the lack of human rights awareness in handling social issues such as the Itaewon disaster.

I do not believe that the human rights issue in our country is solely the fault of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. However, I do not think that the Yoon administration is prepared or has a vision to address domestic human rights issues. The reality is that authoritarianism has been strengthening in various parts of society since the Yoon administration took office, and the values and procedures of democracy are being undermined. This is why their advocacy for the values of democracy, freedom, and human rights seems like a black comedy.

Silent on Domestic Human Rights but Passionate About North Korean Human Rights?

This raises a question: why is an administration that remains silent on domestic human rights and even regresses in human rights so fervent about North Korean human rights? I do not believe that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is genuinely interested in North Korean human rights. A government that is silent on human rights in South Korea has no reason to be sincere about human rights in North Korea. One might question if this is too subjective.

But the facts support this view. The Yoon administration’s North Korean human rights policy remains a slogan. Despite the administration's continuous rhetoric on North Korean human rights, there have been no tangible improvements in human rights in North Korea. While there have been 'efforts' such as pressuring North Korea in the international community by raising North Korean human rights issues and releasing human rights reports, these have not resolved any of the actual human rights problems in North Korea.

In July 2023, President Yoon appointed the far-right figure Kim Young-ho as Minister of Unification. Kim Young-ho, who advocates for the overthrow of the North Korean regime, makes it impossible for inter-Korean dialogue to occur during this administration's term, or at least during his term as minister. Appointing a minister of unification who makes inter-Korean dialogue impossible is self-defeating for a government that claims to solve North Korean human rights issues.

Even if the North Korean regime is disliked, cooperation from North Korean authorities is necessary to resolve North Korean human rights issues. Even Japan, which has a stronger North Korea policy than South Korea, is pushing for a Japan-North Korea summit to resolve the issue of abductees. Since resolving human rights issues like family reunions, which require cooperation between the two Koreas, can only be achieved through dialogue, appointing Kim Young-ho as minister is the worst choice.

I have argued that if the Yoon administration truly wants to solve the North Korean human rights issue, it should protest to the Chinese government and take action to protect the rights of North Korean defectors, especially female defectors, who are being persecuted in the blind spots of human rights in northeastern China. However, there is still no action to solve North Korean human rights issues. They are merely shouting "North Korea is the worst human rights country."

The Yoon administration’s inaction on human rights issues is deceitful. I believe that using human rights as a political tool is a greater sin than remaining silent on human rights. The Yoon administration, which has no genuine interest in human rights, must be prevented from wielding human rights as a political tool any longer.

Amend the North Korean Human Rights Act to Change the Main Department in Charge of North Korean Human Rights

The main duties of the Minister of Unification, as stipulated by our laws, are to "formulate policies on unification and inter-Korean dialogue, exchange, and cooperation, provide unification education, and handle other affairs related to unification" (Government Organization Act Article 31). In fact, it is inefficient for the Ministry of Unification to handle North Korean human rights issues as it is an organization responsible for inter-Korean dialogue, exchange, and cooperation. In this regard, I have suggested that the Ministry of Justice or the National Human Rights Commission should handle North Korean human rights issues.

To achieve this, the National Assembly needs to amend the current North Korean Human Rights Act. Specifically, the Ministry of Unification should handle humanitarian aid to North Korea as defined in the North Korean Human Rights Act, while the Ministry of Justice (or the National Human Rights Commission) should take over matters related to North Korean human rights. The Ministry of Justice has already been responsible for preserving and managing data from the North Korean Human Rights Records Center, and the National Human Rights Commission, which avoids the instrumentalization of human rights and focuses on the intrinsic value of human rights, could cooperate with the international community and engage in dialogue with North Korea.

The Yoon administration is seriously undermining the status of the Ministry of Unification through the appointment of Kim Young-ho and organizational restructuring (downsizing). The National Assembly should use its legislative power to curb the government's reckless actions and ensure that the North Korean human rights issue is no longer used as a political tool. Instead, the issue should be resolved through concrete actions rather than slogans.

*IL-Young Jeong is a research professor at Sogang University in Seoul. His key research interests include North Korea's social control system, inter-Korean relations, and peace on the Korean Peninsula.