Disability Rights in North Korea

We are proud to present a discussion on ‘Disability Rights in North Korea’, co-hosted by the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea and the International North Koreans’ Association for Human Rights & Democracy (INKAHRD).

This will be the first event held in the United Kingdom dedicated to the issue of disability rights in North Korea and will coincide with the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities and a week-long series of INKAHRD events that will highlight the abuse of human rights in North Korea.

It has been said that “There are no disabled people in North Korea”, which raises serious concerns for the human rights situation for those with disabilities in North Korea. In 2013, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea called for an investigation into abuses committed against people with disabilities, including reports of forced internal migration, quarantines, forced abortion, forced sterilisation of men and women with disabilities, infanticide, and targeted killing based on disability type. Although the North Korean government signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, they have not yet ratified it.

North Korean refugee, Ji Seong-ho, who testified before the UN Commission of Inquiry, will be sharing his experiences on living with a disability in North Korea and the associated human rights environment in the country. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers following Ji’s talk.