1. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, 2014
Grant Proposal for General Operating Support from the Open Society Foundations
Recently, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly has just passed a
resolution on the situation of human rights in North Korea with an overwhelming majority. The
resolution condemned North Korea for human rights abuses. Delegates at the assembly voted on
the resolution after reading the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which depicted the inhumane conditions of North
Korea. Among the most-cited sources from the inquiry were the works of the Committee for
Human Rights in North Korea. By funding HRNK’s work, the Open Society Foundations will be
a part of a movement to bring the spotlight on the North Korean regime’s terror and bring
awareness to policymakers, who will pressure North Korea to respect its own people’s rights.
Introduction
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea is submitting this proposal to ask the Open
Society Foundations for a $25,000 grant to fund for HRNK’s work and mission. HRNK shares
OSF’s goals of building tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the
participation of all people. Therefore, we would like to work with OSF and request their funding
to pressure the North Korean government to be more accountable and respect its people’s rights.
HRNK strives to increase awareness amongst policymakers about the human rights abuses in
North Korea. The Committee’s research focuses on how the North Korean regime abuses the
rights of its citizens, including the use of labor camps, denial of equal access to food and goods,
and the plight of escapees. From these horrors, the North Korean people are in desperate need of
a government that cares for its people and respects their dignity. There is no better time for OSF
to support North Korean human rights than right now when members of the United Nations are
condemning North Korea, building a momentum to pressure the regime to change.
History
Launched in October 2001 by a distinguished group of foreign policy and human rights
specialists, the Committee was created to promote human rights in North Korea by generating a
broad base of interest about conditions in North Korea. HRNK cultivated its image as a non-
partisan holder of expertise on North Korea in the United States. Generating the base of interest
was done through conducting and publishing research to focus the attention of the United States
and the world on human rights abuse in North Korea. HRNK began to gain prominence in 2003
after publishing its first edition of The Hidden Gulag by David Hawk. This was the first
comprehensive study of North Korea’s prison camp system. Since its establishment, HRNK has
published twenty reports and dozens of articles on issues relevant to North Korean human rights
today. The Committee’s leadership and Board of Directors have testified to Congress numerous
times about North Korean human rights. In April 2012, HRNK held its first major conference on
North Korean human rights and launched its second edition of The Hidden Gulag to continue to
spread awareness of North Korean political prison camps. Today, HRNK’s publications are
cited by many human rights groups, and HRNK is seen as a leading organization on North
Korean human rights issues in America.

2. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, 2014
Human Rights Issue: Close North Korea’s Gulags
North Korea maintains a system of political prisons and labor camps that holds an estimated
200,000 people. Oftentimes, entire families, including the elderly and children, are detained
because of the suspected political deviation of one member. Prisoners are subjected to forced
labor under brutal conditions, and torture is common. Many prisoners have died from starvation
and disease, and many others have been executed, including young children. It is estimated that
some 400,000 prisoners have died in these camps over the last three decades. We should seek
access to these camps for the International Red Cross inspection teams. A special effort must be
made to release family members who are detained in the camps without charge.
Despite North Korea’s consistent denials in the past of the existence of labor camps, HRNK’s
research and interviews have revealed the detailed operation of an enormous system of Stalinist
detention facilities fueled by a regime of forced labor that abuses thousands of North Koreans.
The well-researched and published works of HRNK eventually led to the North Korean regime
admitting for the first time the existence of labor camps at the United Nations on October 2014.
Human Rights Issue: Open North Korea’s Borders
HRNK believes that North Korea and China must cease criminalizing the act of leaving North
Korea without permission. Leaving the country without permission is considered a crime that is
punishable by a minimum of seven years in a gulag or even death. Even though China was a
member of the 1951 Refugee Convention, it refuses to grant refugee status to North Korean
escapees. On the contrary, the Chinese government joined with officials from the North Korean
Ministry of People’s Security in apprehending escapees and returning them to North Korea.
HRNK has published three in-depth reports on the plight of North Koreans in China and the
inhumane practice of forcibly sending them back to North Korea. The first, The North Korean
Refugee Crisis: Human Rights and International Response (2006), establishes that all North
Koreans in China deserve to be considered as refugees. The second, Lives for Sale: Personal
Accounts of Women Fleeing North Korea to China (2010) calls upon China to set up a screening
process with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to determine the status of North Koreans
and ensure they are not forcibly returned. The third, Hidden Gulag (second edition), presents the
testimony of scores of North Koreans severely punished after being returned to North Korea.
Human Rights Issue: Feed the Hungry in North Korea
Under the regime’s military-first policy, the regime set blatantly discriminatory food policies that
favor the military, government officials, and other loyal groups while withholding food from
those who need it most. Even internationally provided food assistance is diverted away from
starving civilians. Along with the corruption of food distribution, frequent floods and famines
caused millions of North Koreans to die from starvation. Many people, including children, are
denied equal access not just to food but also to housing, medical care, employment, and
education. This discriminatory method of distribution has to stop. HRNK proposed to Congress
and international organizations for the need to implement international monitoring of food
distribution to ensure that food aid reaches the intended recipients.

3. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, 2014
Objectives and Strategy
The Committee’s primary objective is to improve the condition of human rights in North Korea.
While it is almost unlikely for HRNK alone to influence the North Korean government to
improve its treatment of its citizens, the Committee plans to work with partner organizations to
engage policymakers in the United States and the rest of the international community, so that
they can pressure North Korea to make changes.
The Committee plans to achieve its objectives through increasing the awareness and working
with partner organizations, such as Liberty in North Korea and U.N. Commission of Inquiry on
Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to not only raise public awareness
but to also consistently bring the issue of North Korean human rights abuses onto the agendas of
influential policymakers in the United States, other nations, and multilateral institutions.
The Committee’s work will lay a foundation of current and comprehensive information that will
enable it to shine a spotlight on the abuse being perpetrated in North Korea, and also to help
individuals, non-governmental organizations, and policymakers seek ways to improve the
treatment of the North Korean people. In particular, the Committee will focus on the prison
camp system, the question of access to food, and the plight of North Korean refugee populations.
Measuring Success
HRNK’s published studies have established the Committee’s reputation as the leading figure on
North Korea amongst the growing international network of human rights, humanitarian
assistance, and policy organizations. The Committee’s works are frequently cited by many
groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Working closely with other
partner organizations and having its research cited on the UN Commission of Inquiry, HRNK
greatly exposed the brutality of the North Korean regime to the rest of the world.
HRNK’s works in UNCOI that depicted the fiendish violation of human rights in North Korea
has led to the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution (A/C.3/69/L.28/Rev.1*) on
the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with 111 in favor, 19
against, and 55 abstentions. Operative clause 7 of this resolution “acknowledges the
commission’s finding that [there are] reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity
have been committed in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, pursuant to policies
established at the highest level of the State.” Operative clause 8 encourages the Security Council
to consider the International Criminal Court referral and “targeted sanctions against those who
appear to be most responsible for acts that the commission has said may constitute crimes against
humanity.” This was by far the boldest effort ever by the United Nations General Assembly on
North Korea. Other works of HRNK exposed further brutalities, such as the wide use of labor
camps, eventually causing North Korea to acknowledge the existence of labor camps for the first
time at the United Nations last October. These recent events, sparked by the works of HRNK,
are strong signs of progress and hope for the improvement of human rights in North Korea

4. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, 2014
Future Plans
With recent events where people around the world, including members of the United Nations, are
becoming more aware of the extent of the brutality in North Korea, HRNK plans to take
advantage of the momentum by continuing its research and updating the world on why the
international community must pressure North Korea to respect the rights and dignity of their own
people. HRNK also plans to use OSF’s grant to expand the scope of the research to include
more policy solutions to improving human rights rather than merely report on its condition or
situation. This will be achieved by hiring policy analysts, academics, and government officials
from many countries, including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea.
Challenges
Although the Committee and its partners achieved enormous success in the past few months,
there are still obstacles that continue to prevent North Korea from improving its human rights
record. China and Russia were among the 19 countries that opposed the UN resolution. Both
are permanent members with the power to veto at the U.N. Security Council, the only body with
the authority to refer cases to the ICC. Historically, both China and Russia shielded North Korea
from the rest of the international community and would be expected to defend North Korea again
by opposing the resolution if it were put to a vote in the U.N. Security Council. Therefore, the
support North Korea receives from both China and Russia presents the greatest international
obstacle in achieving the objectives of keeping the international pressure on North Korea to
improve its human right record. Another challenge to HRNK’s mission is North Korea’s nuclear
arsenal. Too oftentimes the international community’s attention on North Korean human rights
condition is distracted by its nuclear testing and threats. The diversion in attention can also spin
the issue of human rights out of the agenda of influential players.
Budget
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea is funded mostly by generous contributions of
our donors, but we would like to receive more funding to expand the scope of our projects. For
2012, HRNK started with a total asset that amounted to $204,366. We received $207,675 from
contributions and $20 in investment income (including dividends and interest), generating a total
revenue of $207,695. HRNK spent $111,803 for salaries and compensation benefits. Another
$116,913 was used for other expenses, such as office expenses and traveling. HRNK’s total
expense was at $274,408, making the total assets amount to $137,653. However, if OSF grants
HRNK $25,000, HRNK will be able to arrange larger conferences and the scale of research to
include finding detailed-policy solutions to mitigate North Korea’s poor human rights record.
Conclusion
HRNK shares OSF’s goals of having governments that protects human rights. We believe that
OSF’s vast resources, combined with our expert staff, can work together and accelerate the
progress of achieving for the North Korean people the kind of nation that OSF envisioned – a
nation governed by just laws where people’s inalienable rights are preserved and protected.