[Global NK Interview] South Korea's Role as a 'Global Pivotal State': North Korean Human Rights, Value Diplomacy, and Humanitarian Aid

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG3Icg9Odpk

The East Asia Institute (EAI) invited Ambassador Lee Shin-wha for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights to hear her views on the human rights situation in North Korea and the South Korean government's response. Ambassador Lee emphasizes that for South Korea to leap forward as a Global Pivotal State, efforts to ascertain responsibility for the North Korean regime's human rights violations and international cooperation must be further strengthened. She also argues that among the various issues concerning the improvement of North Korean human rights, efforts toward humanitarian aid, which directly impacts the quality of life of ordinary North Korean citizens, are particularly urgent.

I. Call for protection of North Korean residents, defectors, and South Korean detainees

• Ambassador Lee categorizes the victims of the North Korean human rights problem into three groups: North Korean residents, North Korean defectors, and South Korean prisoners of war (POWs).

• The right to food and the right to information must be secured for those residing in North Korea. Defectors facing the risk of forced repatriation must be protected. The South Korean government should also prioritize the repatriation of ROK nationals abducted during and after the Korean War.

• Ambassador Lee highlights that compared to countries like Japan, which prioritizes the repatriation of unreturned abductees as the core of its DPRK policy, “there has been a lack of government-level efforts in South Korea to address these issues.”

II. Media is uninterested and people are tired of North Korean human rights issues

• “Unless something very big happens in North Korea, the North Korean human rights issue is still sidelined,” says Ambassador Lee. The media is currently preoccupied with what is going on in Ukraine.

• “North Korean human rights issues as well as missile issues have been there for two to three decades, and yet nothing has changed.” This has brought about a “fatigue phenomenon.” Revitalizing interest and awareness toward this problem is a key task for the South Korean government and the international community.

III. South Korea’s quest to strengthen its position as a “Global Pivotal State”

• Ambassador Lee suggests the following actions that the South Korean government should take in order to pursue its goal of establishing itself as a “Global Pivotal State”: (1) conduct value diplomacy, (2) cooperate with international organizations and like-minded countries, and (3) engage with neutral states or non-democratic countries.

• Addressing the DPRK human rights issues could be a “stepping stone to show the world that South Korea is committed to values, norms, freedom, and human rights.” Also, Ambassador Lee is working hard with the international community, particularly the United Nations, to galvanize international awareness and attention on North Korean human rights issues.

IV. The role of humanitarian aid in conducting constructive inter-Korean engagement

• “While previous progressive governments have highlighted the importance of humanitarian and economic assistance in order to improve their chance of engaging with the DPRK regime,” Ambassador Lee disagrees with this point of view.

• Ambassador Lee highlights that “humanitarian and economic assistance toward North Korea is important because those are the crucial means to improve the daily living conditions of the ordinary North Korean people.” In such context, she claims that finding ways to “improve transparency and engage directly with the ordinary North Koreans” is a key task for her and the South Korean government. ■

※ Please cite accordingly when referencing this source.

■ Lee Shin-wha_is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University; Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights; and a Member of the Trilateral Commission. Her previous positions include Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Rwandan Independent Inquiry; Chair’s advisor of the East Asian Vision Group (EAVG); Full-time visiting professor at Columbia University; Visiting scholar at MIT’s Center for International Studies; and UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Group Member of the Peacebuilding Fund. Her numerous publications, including an edited volume UN, Indo-Pacific and Korean Peninsula (Routledge 2023), cover East Asian multilateral security and foreign policies, UN security roles, and human security.

■ Managed and Edited by: Park Ji-soo, EAI Research Fellow

    Inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 208) | jspark@eai.or.kr

Video Transcript

foreign human rights issues. Having worked as an ambassador for the past eight months, I have divided them into three big issues. Number one, the North Korean human rights abuses—I'm sorry, human rights abuses of North Korean people within North Korea. And number two, overseas North Korean defectors, particularly residing in China, as well as overseas laborers. And then third is the South Korean victims who have been recorded as current victims and families, the POWs, and also the wartime and post-war abductees and detainees. North

Korean people need about 5.8 million tons of food per year, and annually there is a chronic deficit of about 800,000 to 850,000 tons. But last year alone, North Korea fired 71 missiles. Even for a conservative estimate, according to the Ministry of Unification, it requires about 1 million tons of rice. So, given the shortage of 800,000, you know, if they didn't do that, you know, those deficits can be easily covered. And then, even we have no surplus. And another thing is the Punggye-ri nuclear site there.

There are concerns about radiation contamination near the Punggye-ri nuclear site, and it is crucial to investigate the human rights situation of the residents who have been exposed to radiation. So, there are some kinds of movements to investigate these issues, both non-governmental and governmental levels. And that is the right to food. And another thing is the right to information. The right to information in North Korea was severely restricted by the introduction of what I call three vicious laws. Number one is

the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Cultural Eradication Law in December 2020, and another thing is the Youth Education or Security Law, that is in September 2021, and also the Pyongyang Language Protection Law, which was just publicized and adopted last January. These laws heavily penalize the viewing and distribution of illegal, uh, what they call illegal content from outside, particularly from South Korea. So, if they watch or distribute Korean dramas or movies, etc., then they are subject to severe punishment, including the death

penalty. And I think the reason or the the Kim Jong-un regime was very harsh on those issues is a kind of testimony for how the regime is concerned about information inflow from outside that can challenge their regime security. And another thing is the, uh, the defector issues. In August 2020, there is a current human rights organization that appeared to then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through an open letter asking for her help in preventing the first, preventing the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China.

Due to the COVID-19 border lockdown, the forced repatriation from China was temporarily ceased, but as you know, as COVID-19 is getting released now, they have another risk of them to be forcibly repatriated to North Korea, where they are subject to those the punishments. But the concern remained for the safety and human rights of at least 1,170 North Korean refugees in China, according to that open letter. But the UN Special Rapporteur claimed that there could be the, the as, as at least 2,000 North Korean defectors

or maybe at risk of forced situations. So, I think those things we have to tap into or pay attention to, both internationally and from the Korean government's side. Another thing is, as I said, the North Korean regime has committed various human rights violations against South Korean citizens. You know, speaking of that, Japan has been prioritizing the repatriation of the 12 out of 17 unreturned Japanese abducted by North Korea. In contrast, South Korea estimates over 80,000 individuals were abducted

during the Korean War, and with hundreds more post-war. And at the latest information is the year 2016, 5 under 16 people were still in North Korea at the time. So, there has been a lack of government-level efforts, unfortunately, to address these issues. And as a matter of fact, last January, I met with families of those abductees and POWs and all others. Of course, I met them unofficially before, but officially, I met with them with the UN—I'm sorry, the U.S. the Special Deputy Special Representative from the State

Department. So, I hope our meeting is not a one-time event, but there will be the beginning of the process to come to raise international awareness about these issues and explore the possible solutions. So, having said all those things, um, why are those human rights issues very hard to approach? As Parliamentarian Kyung has mentioned, the politicization within us, the South Korea is, I believe, the priority problem. Global media is more interested in what is going on in Ukraine and all others. So,

unless something very big happens in North Korea, I think North Korean human rights issues are still inside the line, in sidelined. So, how we can internationalize or globalize the North Korean issue is a very big task. So that, just including myself, the Korean government, as well as the international community, should work together. Another thing is the fatigue phenomenon. There is currently human rights issue, as well as North Korean nuclear and missile issues, that have been there for what, two to three

decades, and nothing has been changed. So, it's a kind of fatigue or like inertia or the phenomenon that is out there. So, how to revitalize the seriousness of this issue is a key issue. As the parliamentary has mentioned, uh, you know, compared to his father or grandfather's period, Kim Jong-un has been even further having a ferocious and also hostile policy against their own citizens. So, I think that's why we have to do some things. As for the Yoon government, as you may have heard, the President

Yoon government is highlighting the so-called Global Pivot Status, a state that is GPS. That those GPS initiatives championed by the Yoon government aims to mainstreaming the ROK's capability in both hard and soft powers. So, as a country situated between the great powers like the US and China, the ROK faces so-called strategic dilemmas or challenges that necessitate a focus on economic security and serious diplomacy. Thank you. And in the meantime, we have to highlight value diplomacy as

well. So, in that sense, I think those human rights issues can be a very beginning or stepping stone for us to highlight why the South Korean government is committed to values, norms, and then freedoms and human rights. I think tackling the human rights issue will be the very beginning for our initiative for GPS. And having said that, um, I think international cooperation is very, very important. So, I had an opportunity to meet with several, um, like international governmental officials

officers as well as international NGO people here in Korea and outside the outside. And I just came back from Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council, talking about the North Korean human rights issue should be in front. And also, I'm just working hard with the international community to put the North Korean human rights issue to a public discussion at the UN Security Council. And also, as we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights, that I try to make this opportunity, both in Korea

and outside, to making how to galvanize those international awareness and attention on North Korean human rights issues. The release of the final report of the COIS. So that I would like to take this great opportunity to address these issues. Last but not least, um, while we consolidating like-minded countries, uh, cooperation on this kind of issue, not only human rights issues of North Korea but also any other topics in this very complex and uncertain international relations, but I think how to persuade and how to

engage with unlike-minded countries or neutral states are very, very important to take credit on this kind of tricky and complex issues. So, having said that, I'm so glad to have the opportunity to speak in front of those people from ASEAN because ASEAN has diverse views, although you also have unity and consensus in the name of ASEAN. So, I look forward to learning lessons and experiences and wisdom from you. At the same time, I really hope that you are genuine and active support to address

the problem of North Korean human rights because, after all, those Korean people have every single right to enjoy their own freedom and their own life, the right to food, and the right to health, and the right to information. Foreign engagement, including humanitarian and economic assistance to North Korea, is very important, not because the over the past previous progressive governments highlighted the importance of humanitarian and economic assistance in order to improve their possibility to engage with the North Korean regime. I'm

not talking about that. The reason I do believe humanitarian or economic assistance toward North Korea is important is because those are the crucial means to improve the human rights and the daily life of the ordinary North Korean people. For that, I think we have to very closely work with the international relief community, relief organizations, and development organizations to provide those the much-needed economic or humanitarian assistance to North Korea. But I think how to improve

the transparency and how to engage with directly engage with the North Korean ordinary people is the key task for us to do.