Canadian Embassy hosts seminar on women's rights in North Korea

The Canadian diplomatic mission in Seoul welcomed three groups to speak about the issue of women's rights in North Korea, all of which stressed that the regime's claim of gender equality is grossly overstated.

Participants of the "Conference on Women's Rights in North Korea" held at the Canadian Embassy in Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul, including Ambassador of Canada to South Korea Tamara Mawhinney, fourth from right, pose for a photo during the event Friday. [LIM JEONG-WON]

The rights of women in North Korea remain a grave concern, with the reality of their everyday lives very different from what the regime declares it to be, experts at a forum held by the Canadian Embassy in Seoul on Friday pointed out.

In light of International Women’s Day, the embassy held a seminar titled “Conference on Women’s Rights in North Korea” on Friday. Three organizations — the Daily NK, a media organization specializing on the North, EUM Research Institute, a non-profit on North Korea, and Think, a support organization for teen defectors — participated in the seminar.

Over 70 percent of North Koreans failed to receive any information on women’s rights, showing that despite the regime's claim that gender equality has been achieved, ordinary people question whether the rights of women are really protected, according to Lee Sang-yong, director of research and analysis at Daily NK.

“A point of contrast emerged where North Korea’s claims on gender equality and evaluations of the issue by North Korean women were completely contradictory,” said Lee during his presentation at the seminar Friday. “Due to North Korean authorities’ constant propaganda, women are putting limitations on themselves. The North Korean government aims to mobilize women in various national industries while at the same time forcing them to perform as housewives and mothers in the family.”

North Korean women who are active economically enjoy greater rights than those who do not, according to Lee. Some women are gaining an understanding of the concept of private assets and property, but people generally believe that women’s rights rely on the “effort” put in by women themselves.

Violence against women has increased in North Korea due to economic troubles during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even economically active women experience setbacks because they are asked to contribute “donations” to the state’s “foreign currency loyalty fund” and to the military, according to Lee.

“All the while, sexual crimes remain a chronic issue throughout North Korean society,” said Lee. “Cases of forced sexual relations at work, in the military or at markets prevail, as well as sexual abuse perpetrated by government workers.”

Lee called for the development of tailored content for North Koreans in order to improve women’s rights in the country, with a series of activities including an investigation into what the people of the country think, the production of content based on the findings and the distribution of it to the country through “various methods.”

Representatives from Think further spoke on the issue of gender sensitivity of male in the North by introducing a research case conducted by the organization surveying and interviewing more than 30 North Korean defectors.

More than 90 percent of the defectors said that they had no awareness of the concept of human rights while in the hermetic country, and nearly all of the respondents said they first came across gender sensitivity when they defected to South Korea.

Other findings also included the largely patriarchal view held by North Koreans on the role of men and women in society and households, while 72 percent of the respondents felt that despite the regime seemingly promoting women’s rights through various holidays and propaganda, gender equality was not being realized. Sexual education is also not carried out properly in most parts of the country, according to Think's research. Domestic abuse and prostitution are also common there, the research found.

These findings on human rights violations against North Korean women will “help us develop a more holistic understanding of the issues as we work toward finding meaningful solutions,” said Tamara Mawhinney, Ambassador of Canada to South Korea during the seminar.

“Our conversation today highlights the importance of the work of these NGOs in investigating and raising awareness about women’s rights in North Korea,” said Mawhinney. “I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with the South Korean government, international organizations, civil society and like-minded embassies to protect and promote human rights in North Korea.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]