Chairperson of the NHRCK Welcomes UN Finding of North Korea’s Arbitrary Detention of South Korean Nationals as a Human Rights Violation
Urging immediate release of Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-ki, and Choi Chun-gil, along with compensation for the victims and accountability for those responsible -
The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), Ahn Chang-Ho, stated, “The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) released an opinion on March 13, 2025, concluding that the deprivation of liberty of South Korean nationals Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-ki, and Choi Chun-gil by North Korea constitutes arbitrary detention and calls for their immediate release.” The NHRCK welcomes this decision.
Missionaries Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-ki, and Choi Chun-gil have been detained in North Korea for approximately ten years on charges of ‘conspiracy to overthrow the state’ and ‘reform through labor imprisonment.’ According to the WGAD, North Korea’s arbitrary detention of these individuals is based on:
Arrest without a warrant and denial of the right to appear before a judge;
Incommunicado detention, lacking legal justification;
Violations of due process and fair trial rights, including denial of legal counsel, forced confessions through torture, absence of the right to appeal, and lack of consular access;
Discriminatory treatment based on their religious activities, violating fundamental freedoms such as expression, conscience, and movement.
The WGAD determined that North Korea’s actions violate multiple provisions of international human rights instruments, including Articles 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 18, and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Articles 2, 9, 12, 14, 19, 21, and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Additionally, the WGAD urged the North Korean government to immediately release the three missionaries, guarantee their right to compensation, including financial reparations, in accordance with international law, and conduct a thorough investigation into their arbitrary detention. The Working Group also called on North Korea to take appropriate measures against those responsible and to report back to the WGAD within six months on the implementation of these measures.
The WGAD has previously reviewed cases involving forcibly repatriated North Korean defector Kim Cheol-ok, Shin Suk-ja (the ‘Daughter of Tongyeong’), and her two daughters. It also issued rulings on the arbitrary detention of Hwang Won, a victim of the 1969 KAL plane abduction; Choi Sang-soo, a South Korean prisoner of war captured after defecting from North Korea; and his son, Choi Sung-il. However, decisions were withheld regarding South Korean miner Kang Jeong-seok, who was abducted to North Korea while working in Europe in the 1970s, and Ko Sang-moon, a former student at Sudo Girls’ High School.
The NHRCK hopes that the WGAD’s ruling will lead to the immediate repatriation of abductees, detainees, and Korean War prisoners of war who have yet to be returned, including Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-ki, and Choi Chun-gil. The NHRCK urges North Korean authorities to promptly implement the WGAD’s recommendations.
To this end, the NHRCK will participate in the ‘Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK’ (March 19) and the ‘4th Session of the UPR National Report Adoption Meeting and General Debate’ (March 24-26), both held during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. During these meetings, the NHRCK will once again emphasize to the international community the urgent need to resolve the issues of South Korean detainees, abductees, unreturned Korean War prisoners of war, and separated families held in North Korea.
March 17, 2025
Ahn Chang-ho
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea
