Happy New Year!
As we bid farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) extends its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood with us and helped sustain our work over the past year.
The beginning of 2025 brought unprecedented challenges to our community. Sudden uncertainty in global funding placed significant strain on organizations working to advance North Korean human rights, threatening the continuity of documentation, victim support, and public advocacy across the field. Under these circumstances, NKDB, like many of our peer organizations, was compelled to make difficult adjustments, including reducing our office space and scaling back certain programs.
Despite these hardships, the solidarity and commitment shown by our partners and supporters around the world in response to our call for help provided us with a vital lifeline. Your contributions enabled us to endure this challenging period and preserve our most essential work.
At a time when human rights conditions inside North Korea continue to deteriorate and escape routes are increasingly restricted, your support allowed us to uphold our core mission when it was needed most.
As an expression of our gratitude, we share some of the accomplishments made possible by your support:
Research & Publications
ย 
Advocacy at the United Nations
- Submissions to the 58th and 60th sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (March & September):
- Outcome of North Koreaโs 4th Universal Periodic Reviewย ๐
- Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRKย ๐
- Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on High Commissionerโs report on 10-year reflection on the Commission of Inquiryย ๐
- Submission for North Koreaโs review under the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (July)ย ๐
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Community-Based Healing
- Healing camp (group therapy) for victims of torture, held in Ganghwa Island (September)
- Healing camp (group therapy) for North Korean escapee parents and children, held in Jeju Island (October)
Legal Assistance
- First lawsuit filed by North Korea-born escapee in South Korean court against the North Korean government for crimes against humanityย ๐ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Memorialization
- Opening of our new North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall (July)
- Special seminar on the need for a North Korean human rights museum (September)
Public Engagement & Education
- Talk concert featuring North Korean escapees (July)
- Artist talk featuring North Korean escapee artists (August)
- 7th Unification Law Academy, 20th Unification Diplomacy Academy, 26th North Korean Human Rights Academy, and a Program on Group Therapy for Inter-Korean Understanding
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without your steadfast support. Above all, we express our deepest gratitude to the victims who entrusted us with their stories of resilience and survival. Their courage continues to guide our work and strengthen our resolve to pursue justice for the North Korean people.
As we look ahead to 2026, we hope to continue standing together in solidarity at this pivotal moment for the North Korean human rights movement. We wish you good health and prosperity in the year ahead.
Thank you for standing with us.
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB)
Happy New Year!
As we bid farewell to 2025 and welcome 2026, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) extends its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood with us and helped sustain our work over the past year.
The beginning of 2025 brought unprecedented challenges to our community. Sudden uncertainty in global funding placed significant strain on organizations working to advance North Korean human rights, threatening the continuity of documentation, victim support, and public advocacy across the field. Under these circumstances, NKDB, like many of our peer organizations, was compelled to make difficult adjustments, including reducing our office space and scaling back certain programs.
Despite these hardships, the solidarity and commitment shown by our partners and supporters around the world in response to our call for help provided us with a vital lifeline. Your contributions enabled us to endure this challenging period and preserve our most essential work.
At a time when human rights conditions inside North Korea continue to deteriorate and escape routes are increasingly restricted, your support allowed us to uphold our core mission when it was needed most.
As an expression of our gratitude, we share some of the accomplishments made possible by your support:
Research & Publications
Advocacy at the United Nations
Community-Based Healing
Legal Assistance
Memorialization
Public Engagement & Education
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without your steadfast support. Above all, we express our deepest gratitude to the victims who entrusted us with their stories of resilience and survival. Their courage continues to guide our work and strengthen our resolve to pursue justice for the North Korean people.
As we look ahead to 2026, we hope to continue standing together in solidarity at this pivotal moment for the North Korean human rights movement. We wish you good health and prosperity in the year ahead.
Thank you for standing with us.
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB)