North Korea 'committed crimes against humanity, but not genocide': UN official

The head of a UN inquiry into rights violations in North Korea said Pyongyang’s actions, while constituting a crime against humanity, fell short of genocide.

Michael Kirby, the Australian former judge who headed the UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korea’s human rights violations that concluded last year, reiterated the panel’s finding that “crimes against humanity have been committed” by the North Korean government in its mistreatment of thousands of prison detainees.

“This is a very serious finding,” said Kirby, speaking to reporters in Washington.

“It imposed on the international community to make those who are responsible accountable,” he said, adding that the UN human rights body has made North Korea’s leader aware of their findings.

The investigation, whose findings were released a year ago, gathered testimony from 300 witnesses and corroborating evidence that documented a vast network of prison camps believed to hold as many as 120,000 people.

The report said atrocities carried out at the camp include torture, rape and summary executions.

The UN inquiry, which wrapped up last year, found that North Korea’s human rights violations were “without parallel in the contemporary world”.