[Briefing]40th NKDB Monthly Briefing and Discussion

2 Jun 2017
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On May 30th, NKDB held its 40th Monthly Briefing and Discussion on North Korean Human Rights where a presentation was given on the findings of NKDB's seminar with LeidenAsiaCentre in the Netherlands.

The presentation looked at the issue of North Korean overseas labourers from a new perspective, especially in terms of accountability. The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) has so far dedicated over two years to a focused research on the human rights conditions of North Korean laborers overseas. In this amount of time NKDB researchers have only managed to uncover a small fraction of the abuses endured by the North Korean citizens dispatched overseas to earn revenue for the North Korean regime. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, which should involve investigation of the working and living conditions of North Korean labourers residing in different countries, seeking accountability from the entities, government agencies and individuals profiting from the hard labour of North Korean labourers, and ultimately improving the state of the workers. The presentation looked at how accountability can be sought for the human rights violations that North Korean labourers endure from the perspective of the ILO, ICC and United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Participants of the Briefing included representatives from embassies in Seoul including Finland, Hungary, Singapore and Norway; as well as from international organizations including OHCHR, IOM, and NDI.