In the world today there is violence, controversy, and aggressive nations’ lashing out at innocent civilians but arguably none of these offenses are as atrocious and oppressive as the actions of the regime in North Korea against their own citizens. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is an ironic name for a nation that is clearly anything but a democratic republic for the people. In North Korea freedoms largely considered a human right in other nations do not exist. There is no freedom of speech and media sources such as television, music, and radio are all strictly regulated by the government. The punishment for political offenses against the regime can result in torture, starvation, being placed in labor camps, and execution.
…show more content…
The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea after disagreeing on how to govern the Korean peninsula after gaining back independence following World War II. Since the beginning of the Korean War, North Korea has constantly manipulated the media in their home country to inform the citizens of North Korea that their enemies such as the United States were creating false reports about the state of North Korea. Every home in North Korea is equipped with a speaker that allows the North Korean state-run media to blare propaganda and “forbidden news” to each resident at any time (Sanchez). North Korea has depended on being able to control and manipulate the media extensively in recent decades in order to maintain order in the dictatorship. Earlier this year a United Nations released a lengthy report into alleged human right violations that occur in North Korea. The United Nations concluded that the violations and crimes against humanity that occur in North Korea are extremely similar to those committed by the Nazis (Walker). Many nations have agreed to economic sanctions against North Korea that limit the amount of trade and attempt to economically pressure North Korea into compliance with international law. These sanctions however hurt the average North Korean much more than the dictatorship, and have thus far been ineffective in obtaining more compliance in international human rights law. The international community has demanded action by current leader Kim Jong-un in response to these allegations which include burning bodies of deceased prisoners, hard labor camps, torture, and starvation. The United Nations has also warned the leaders of North Korea that they could be held accountable for his actions through trial in the international criminal court. These accusations from the international community
The Korean War began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea after disagreeing on how to govern the Korean peninsula after gaining back independence following World War II. Since the beginning of the Korean War, North Korea has constantly manipulated the media in their home country to inform the citizens of North Korea that their enemies such as the United States were creating false reports about the state of North Korea. Every home in North Korea is equipped with a speaker that allows the North Korean state-run media to blare propaganda and “forbidden news” to each resident at any time (Sanchez). North Korea has depended on being able to control and manipulate the media extensively in recent decades in order to maintain order in the dictatorship. Earlier this year a United Nations released a lengthy report into alleged human right violations that occur in North Korea. The United Nations concluded that the violations and crimes against humanity that occur in North Korea are extremely similar to those committed by the Nazis (Walker). Many nations have agreed to economic sanctions against North Korea that limit the amount of trade and attempt to economically pressure North Korea into compliance with international law. These sanctions however hurt the average North Korean much more than the dictatorship, and have thus far been ineffective in obtaining more compliance in international human rights law. The international community has demanded action by current leader Kim Jong-un in response to these allegations which include burning bodies of deceased prisoners, hard labor camps, torture, and starvation. The United Nations has also warned the leaders of North Korea that they could be held accountable for his actions through trial in the international criminal court. These accusations from the international community