[Global NK Special Report] How to Deal with the North Korean Human Rights Issue

Chaesung Chun, Chair of the EAI’s National Security Research Center and Professor at Seoul National University, explores the complex nature of the North Korean human rights issues and offers policy direction to improve the dire situation. Highlighting that ideological, political, and policy polarizations within South Korea hinder effective policy implementation, Chun argues that the fundamental value of human rights should not be distorted by subordinate values like political orientations. Furthermore, pointing out that the North Korean human rights is closely intertwined with the question of denuclearization, Chun suggests that South Korea and the international community should make the Kim Jong Un regime understand that both denuclearization and human rights protection will enhance regime security and facilitate its reintegration into the global community.