What did Human Rights Watch ask the UN General Assembly to do about North Korea?

HRW urged the General Assembly to recommend that future dialogue with North Korea address human rights and security concerns together. Audrey Gregg said the Assembly could make that connection even while the Security Council remains deadlocked.

How did HRW connect North Korea’s human rights violations with its nuclear weapons program?

Gregg argued that human rights violations, particularly forced labor, are closely linked to the nuclear weapons program, citing previous U.N. findings. She also wrote that the government devotes massive resources to nuclear weapons and missile stockpiles while many North Koreans face chronic hunger.

HRW urges UN to address N. Korean human rights situation alongside security issues

Q: What abuses did Elizabeth Salmon’s UN report highlight in North Korea?

The report highlighted increased use of public executions, expanded surveillance and tighter restrictions on basic freedoms. Salmon presented it to a U.N. General Assembly committee on Oct. 27.

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Summary

Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations to address North Korea’s human rights situation alongside security issues in future diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. HRW said the U.N. General Assembly should recommend that future dialogue cover both concerns, even as the Security Council remains deadlocked. The call followed a report presented by U.N. Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmon on Oct. 27 that highlighted increased public executions, expanded surveillance and tighter restrictions on basic freedoms. HRW also linked forced labor to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Key Facts

Audrey Gregg, HRW’s senior coordinator for Asia, wrote that the General Assembly could connect security and rights issues despite the Security Council deadlock.
Gregg said North Korean rights issues should not be displaced as the United States and South Korea pursue diplomatic dialogues with Kim Jong-un.
The report by Elizabeth Salmon was presented to a U.N. General Assembly committee on Oct. 27.
Gregg cited previous U.N. findings in arguing that North Korea’s human rights violations, particularly forced labor, are closely linked to its nuclear weapons program.
Gregg wrote that the government devotes massive resources to its nuclear weapons and missile stockpiles while many North Koreans face chronic hunger.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 11, 2026 7:25 am KST

South Korean human rights activists protest in front of the North Korean mission to the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 29, 2024. Yonhap

WASHINGTON — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the United Nations to address North Korea's human rights situation alongside security issues in future diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang.

In a commentary published Monday, the New York-based rights group, citing a recent U.N. report highlighting deepening repression in the country, said the U.N. General Assembly should recommend that future dialogue with North Korea address human rights and security concerns together, rather than treating them as separate issues.

"Security and rights issues need to be addressed together. The U.N. General Assembly has the power to forge these connections, even as the Security Council remains deadlocked," Audrey Gregg, HRW's senior coordinator for Asia, wrote in a commentary published Monday. "Security and rights issues need to be addressed together.

Gregg added that North Korean rights issues should not be displaced by the focus on security issues, as the United States and South Korea pursue diplomatic dialogues with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The commentary came after U.N. Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmon presented a report on North Korea's human rights situation to a U.N. General Assembly committee on Oct. 27. It highlighted North Korea's increased use of public executions, expanded surveillance and tighter restrictions on basic freedoms, according to HRW.

Gregg also argued that North Korea's human rights violations, particularly forced labor, are closely linked to its nuclear weapons program, citing previous U.N. findings.

"The government devotes massive resources to maintaining its nuclear weapons and missile stockpiles while many North Koreans face chronic hunger," Gregg wrote.

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