Q&A: North Korea, Sanctions, and Human Rights

This questions-and-answers document sets out the sanctions regime and other diplomatic measures imposed on North Korea, Human Rights Watch’s position on sanctions, and recommendations for addressing North Korea’s human rights record. It explains how existing sanctions on North Korea operate, why they were imposed, and how they might be relaxed, lifted, or tightened.

Sanctions on North Korea include measures related to nuclear weapons proliferation activities imposed by the United Nations Security Council and some UN member states, including the United States and members of the European Union. They also include targeted economic and travel-related sanctions and measures imposed bilaterally on high-level North Korean officials for human rights reasons.

1. What types of sanctions are currently imposed on North Korea?
2. What is Human Rights Watch’s position on non-proliferation and human rights sanctions?
3. What human rights sanctions against North Korea are currently in place?
4. Do US sanctions, which only apply to US persons, companies, and financial institutions, have an effect outside of the United States?
5. How do the UN sanctions work?
6. Can the Security Council lift its sanctions absent any improvements in North Korea’s human rights record?
7. How can US-North Korea negotiations address human rights issues?
8. What concrete steps can the North Korean government take to improve human rights?
9. Have existing non-proliferation sanctions been effectively enforced?
10. Have sanctions harmed the North Korean people?