The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) is a non-governmental organization, established on May 10, 2003, devoted to the improvement and realization of human rights in North Korea as well as transitional justice for past human rights violations.

Our principal activities entail (1) researching and preserving records of human rights violations in North Korea, (2) providing aid and mechanisms for prevention as it relates to human rights violations in North Korea, and (3) providing assistance and protection for victims.

As of April, 2021, NKDB has systematically recorded and analyzed 79,114 cases of human rights violations and 49,017 related individuals in our NKDB Unified Human Rights Database. These accomplishments, possible only through the efforts of many individuals, globally inform the reality of the human rights conditions in North Korea and serve as an empirical platform to urge the improvement of human rights in North Korea. Furthermore, from the perspective of future reunification of the Korean peninsula, these records will be considered valuable records for transitional justice.

Ever since the division of the peninsula, Koreans have long dreamt of reunification and have put effort into many different areas to realize this ambition. As an organization preparing for the future reunification of the Korean peninsula, NKDB believes that the correct path toward reunification is through improvements in human rights conditions in North Korea. I am confident that all our activities hold great value in the process of preparation for reunification. From supporters both in South Korea and overseas, I ask for the continued interest and passionate support of those who long for reunification and hope for North Korean human rights improvements.

Chairman   SHIN Young Ho