The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is an independent expert who monitors and reports on the situation of human rights in the country and on the government's compliance with its obligations under international human rights law, and reports annually to the Human Rights Council and General Assembly. The work of the Special Rapporteur is supported by staff of the UN Human Rights office in Seoul.
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK was established by the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2004 (resolution 2004/13), and the mandate has been renewed every year.
[The current Special Rapporteur is Ms. Elizabeth Salmón (Peru). She was appointed as the first female Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK by the Human Rights Council on 1 August 2022. Ms. Salmón is a Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. She was previously Executive Director of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights of the same university (IDEHPUCP). She holds a PhD in International Law from the University of Seville (Spain).
Ms. Salmón was a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee and a Consulting Expert of the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace. She has acted as a consultant to the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defense of Peru, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Peru, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She also participates as a speaker in numerous seminars, conferences and events around the world and she is the author of several publications in Public International Law, International Human Rights Law, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law and Transitional Justice.]
Previous Special Rapporteurs are Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana (Argentina), Mr. Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), and Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn (Thailand).
Information relevant to the work of the Special Rapporteur can be sent to madoka.saji@un.org
News and statements by the current and previous Special Rapporteurs can be found here, and their reports can be found here.
For more information on the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, please see here.