Activists urge referral of North Korean leader to international criminal court

North Korean human rights groups held a briefing on “Accountability for North Korea’s Political Prison Camps” as a side event of the 58th UN Human Rights Council session at the United Nations Office in Geneva on March 19 2025 — Participants speak at an event as part of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 19, 2025. Yonhap

SEOUL, March 19 (AJP) - Human rights groups called for North Korea to be held accountable for human rights violations and other alleged crimes against humanity at a forum in Geneva earlier this week.

Hosted by Seoul-based non-profit organization People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE) and other advocacy groups, the event as part of this year's regular session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday shed light on the North Korean regime's heinous and brutal crimes committed in its notorious prison camps.

Based on testimonies from defectors and other findings gathered through various sources, including a mock trial of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Seoul last November, they urged the international community to refer him and his key officials to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

They also called for coordinated global action to address the issue.

Meanwhile, Japan's Kyodo News reported Tuesday that the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has asked North Korea for information about the whereabouts of three ethnic Koreans.

The individuals, originally residents of Japan, abducted in a bizarre campaign by the North in the 1970s and 80s, were believed to have been sent to political prison camps between October 2007 and April 2008 after allegedly attempting to defect.

Im Yoon-seo lyseo0330@ajupress.com

Activists urge referral of North Korean leader to international criminal court

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