To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2021 to Question 38244 on North Korea: Human Rights, what progress she has made on assessing the findings of the July 2021 report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea; and what steps she plans to take in response to the policy recommendations of that report.
Answered on
19 November 2021
The July 2021 report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea contributes to our understanding of the human rights situation in the DPRK. We remain committed to continuing to push for action at all levels to bring pressure to bear on the government of the DPRK to address concerns about its human rights record and bring about permanent change. The UK is already active in many areas covered by the report's recommendations. We shine a spotlight on the DPRK's human rights record and call for action in multilateral fora such as the G7 and the Human Rights Council, calling on the DPRK to allow access for the UN Special Rapporteur, and to help enable a diplomatic and international presence in the DPRK as soon as possible. We press for annual debate in the UN Security Council on the DPRK human rights issues. We lobby countries where North Korean workers are still present for their return in accordance with UNSCR 2397 (2017). We call on the DPRK to account bilaterally and we keep under review whether further Global Human Rights sanctions on the DPRK are possible. We continue to monitor events and developments closely in the DPRK.