There are consistent and credible accounts of arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Such acts may amount to violation of the Convention against torture and other international norms prohibiting torture in all its forms, but may also constitute the crimes against humanity of imprisonment, torture, enslavement, or “other inhumane acts of a similar character causing serious injury to body or to mental or physical health”.

In its 2014 report, the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed and continued to be committed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It highlighted that the gravity, scale and nature of those violations revealed a State that did not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

The DPRK has not issued standing invitation to special procedures mandate holders.

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of the persons with disabilities conducted an official visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in May 2017. This is the only official visit by the Special Procedures to the country.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of the persons with disabilities on her visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Human Rights Council resolution 31/18 requested the UN High Commissioner to designate, for a period of six months, a maximum of two existing independent experts in support of the work of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to focus on issues of accountability for human rights violations in the country, in particular where such violations amount to crimes against humanity, as found by the commission of inquiry.