Rape ‘part of ordinary life’ in North Korea
Report by Human Rights Watch details harrowing accounts of sexual abuse

North Korean women are routinely the targets of sexual violence, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch, released today.
Government officials, prison guards, interrogators, police, prosecutors and soldiers operate with near-total impunity, to the point where “unwanted sexual contact and violence is so common in North Korea it has come to be accepted as part of ordinary life”, says the report.
It adds: “When a guard or police officer ‘picks’ a woman, she has no choice but to comply with any demands he makes, whether for sex, money, or other favours.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report is based on interviews with 54 people who have fled the oppressive regime since 2011, the year Kim Jong-un came into power.
One woman who was caught attempting to flee North Korea suffered abuse at the hands of a police official who was questioning her at a pre-trial detention facility, says the BBC.
“My life was in his hands, so I did everything he wanted. How could I do anything else?” said the woman, identified in the report as Park Young-hee.
Human Rights Watch says the 98-page report took two years to compile, with witness statements and first-hand accounts of sexual abuse and violence gathered from people all across Asia who had managed to escape from North Korea.
It is not the first time North Korea has been accused of widespread human rights abuses – in 2014, the United Nations released a report condemning the rogue state for the “systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 29, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - my way or Norway, running orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is South Korea's young democracy under threat?
Today's Big Question Attempts to arrest the impeached President Yoon have shown the 'erosion of the rule of law'
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published