North Korea's Human Rights Record Assailed As Nation Prepares For Transition of Power

www.democracynow.org — Democracy Now! looks at the human rights legacy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and what may lie ahead as his 29-year-old son, Kim Jong-un, prepares to take power. "There are tens of thousands of North Koreans who are in labor camps, often working for around 12 hours a day, if not more," says T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA's Advocacy Director for Asia and the Pacific. He notes more than one million people have died from starvation, not just due to famine, but also because the military has blocked food distribution to its political opponents. "The other issues are public executions and executions of political opponents [and] imprisonment of political dissidents. So the list goes on and on." Amnesty International has called on the Obama administration to ensure future international food aid is not linked to ongoing policy negotiations, and wants more international observers allowed into North Korea. We also speak with Christine Ahn, executive director of the Korea Policy Institute.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• democracy now
• dn
• headlines
• news
• politics
• amy goodman
• T. Kumar
• amnesty international USA
• christine ahn
• korea policy institute
• food aid
• labor
• camps

[concentrationcamps1]

Why were Nazi concentration camps that lasted 20 years worth millions of lives to liberate, and North Korean concentration camps that have been around for over 50 years not worth any?

[Serotrance]

@catguy00 Agreed. Her inability to recognize the uniqueness of the North Korean situation is laughable.

[catguy00]

"There are human rights violations in North Korea just like there are human rights violations in the United States"??????????????? What a disengenous statement. It is hard to respect her views after that. She turns out to be a Pyonyang apologist.

[YY4Me133]

U.S. politicians pretend to care about human rights and freedom around the world, but what they really want is to create opportunities for corporations to move in and take over. They sure don't care about human rights violations here at home. Millions of people are incarcerated in private prisons. Millions of people are homeless. Millions of people don't have access to health care. Peaceful Occupy protesters are being beaten by police, and arrested. We need human rights monitors here.

[youngbuck189]

@goemon9378 troll = anyone who knows more than the commenter.

troll = the word used by the ignorant who have no ground to stand on

[goemon9378]

@youngbuck189 lol troll

[youngbuck189]

Glad to see DN carrying the Western attack against North Korea. The subtleness is beautiful, you get all the American liberals to think you're the fair news source. You don't fool me.