The U.N. released a new report that lists numerous human rights violations that North Korea has committed over the past several years.
The U.N. panel in charge of the report commented that the crimes are so atrocious that, “The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a state that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world,” according to an article in Al Jazeera.
These violations, according to the 400-page U.N. report include, torture, murder, forced abortion, imprisonment, rape, persecution based on racial, political, and religious beliefs and various other transgressions, according to Al Jazeera.
In response, the U.N. plans to launch an international investigation in an attempt to gather evidence of the numerous violations.
What needs to be said about this report is that it is not breaking news. It’s general knowledge that North Korea has been committing atrocities such as these for many years. Reports from North Korean defectors have described the horrible conditions of the state, and for more than a decade, the country continues to deny these allegations, according to CBS News.
In response to these crimes against humanity, the U.N. is trying to bring the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, to trial, according to the New York Times. However, there was no explanation as to how the U.N. will ensure that Kim Jong-un will show up at a trial.
He may totally refuse to appear at the trial based upon his well-publicized beliefs that this is a conspiracy against North Korea.
Then what shall the U.N. do? This brings up one of the biggest problems that the U.N. faces, they lack the power to enforce the laws they pass.
Examples of the U.N.’s inability to enforce its own laws can be seen in tragedies such as the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. The U.N. Security council officially admitted that it had failed in preventing the genocide of more than 800,000 people in Rwanda, and for withdrawing the 2,500 U.N. peacekeepers stationed there, according to BBC.
Given the U.N.’s poor history of enforcing it’s policy, it seems the U.N. may not accomplish anything if it tries to go after Kim Jong-un directly.
If the U.N. wants to try to change North Korea, then it may have to go after it’s biggest ally, China. China has been a huge supporter of North Korea and has been providing economic protection, food, and fuel since the Korean War, according to The Council on Foreign Relations. North Korea has become almost totally dependent on China, and it is doubtful that it would survive on its own for very long.
While China is certainly not an easy obstacle to tackle, it would certainly be wiser to approach than North Korea.
As long as China continues to back North Korea, there will be no real change. If China were to cooperate with the U.N. out of fear for economic ramifications for being allied with North Korea, then maybe real change could begin.
