The United Nations says North Korea is cracking down even harder on freedom of expression and thought in the country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a report on North Korea’s human rights situation, covering the period between July 2023 and May 2024. It was compiled following a UN investigation.
The report says, “There was a noticeable escalation in the repression of the rights to freedom of expression, information, thought and conscience.” It cites the enactment of three new laws in the crackdown.
The report especially points to the Law on Protecting the Pyongyang Cultural Language, which is aimed at preventing the influx of foreign culture.
The report says the law has introduced severe legal sanctions, including the death penalty, for people who imitate language used in other countries.
On the right to adequate food, the report says the country saw a reduction in food prices due to a decent fall harvest last year.
But it also says Pyongyang is limiting the role of small-scale markets. The report says people had to shop exclusively at state-owned stores for food, which did not have enough food to sell.
Regarding the abduction issue, the report calls on the North to provide the families of all people who have been abducted with full information on their whereabouts, and to immediately repatriate them.