The Offender Attempts to Judge the Victim
DPRK guaranteed women's through the people-oriented democratic constitution adopted in 1948 and the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea adopted in 1972 and amended and supplemented several times later.
Recently some Western countries have been insisting that the “north Korean human rights issue” should be treated by the United Nations Security Council.
In retrospect, the UNSC discussed the DPRK’s “human rights issue” and passed “human rights resolutions” against it every year from 2014. However, since 2018 it has failed to put the agenda item itself up on the table as the permanent member nations failed to reach a consensus. Unhappy with this situation, those who are hostile towards the country are kicking up a fuss.
In fact, it is not the “human rights issue of north Korea” but the human rights atrocities of the US and other western countries against it that must be brought to the UNSC.
They have resorted to sanctions and blockade against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since its nascent years, simply because it had chosen the road of socialism, the road of independence. During the Korean War (1950~1953) they used even germ weapons, massacred a large number of civilians, and reduced the country to ashes. After the ceasefire, they continued hostility and intensified sanctions, at the same time as ceaselessly threatening it with nuclear war. Their hostile policy persisted even after the cold war had come to an end, and got extreme when the DPRK possessed a self-defensive nuclear deterrent in response to the increasing nuclear threats by the hostile forces.
Data show that the damage inflicted upon the country by the US from September 1945 to 2005 amounted to USD 64,959,854 billion.
The current sanctions and blockade against it are human rights atrocities untold in human history. The hostile forces are blocking its humanitarian activities, not to mention its normal trade with other countries.
In spite of this, the Western countries are desperately trying to internationalize the “north Korean human rights issue,” which is truly the case of a thief crying for a thief. Their real intention is to cover their human rights crimes by branding the DPRK, the victim of their violations, as the accused at all costs and, still further, execute their plans to isolate socialist Korea from the international community and stifle it by whatever means.
Gender Equality in the DPRK Seen by Law
On July 30, 1946, the Law on Sex Equality was promulgated in North Korea.
Having stipulated in the law that women enjoy the equal social status as men, the country guaranteed this through the people-oriented democratic constitution adopted in 1948 and the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea adopted in 1972 and amended and supplemented several times later.
An article of the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea reads, “Women are accorded equal social status and rights with men.”
“The State shall afford special protection to mothers and children by providing maternity leave, reduced working hours for mothers with several children, a wide network of maternity hospitals, crèches and kindergartens, and other measures.
“The State shall provide all conditions for women to play their full roles in society”.
It is a reflection of the policy and steadfast will of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the country to give prominence to women, who occupy half of the population of the country, as part of the masters of the state and society.
The issue of empowerment of women is stipulated in detail in the sector-specific laws.
By the country’s Constitution, Korean women have the right to elect and to be elected like men without any discrimination.
They hold not a small proportion of the power organs at all levels, including the Supreme People’s Assembly. They accounted for 17.6% of the Deputies to the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly elected in March 2019.
The Socialist Labour Law guarantees jobs for women according to their hopes and talents and without any discrimination. They never experience infringement on their rights to work on the grounds of marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, or having children. Rather, they enjoy such benefits as maternity leave and maternity allowances. The women also enjoy equal rights with men in family life.
The Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Family, whose starting point is the complete equality between men and women, do not allow any privileges of men in family life; it stipulates that women have the freedom of and right to marriage on an equal status with men as an expression of their voluntary will; it also clarifies the state’s stand to pay close attention to protecting marriage and families and provide all the conditions for women’s sound upbringing and educating of their children.
Under this socialist system, Korean women are leading a worthwhile life for their families, society, and state with high dignity and self-respect.
Why Does the West Deny the Reality of the DPRK?
Foreigners on a visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are surprised to see that the reality of the country is quite different from how it is described by the West. In fact, it is almost impossible to find an article that fairly assesses the reality of the country in the publications of the Western countries including the US.
Then, why does the West deny its reality? It is necessary to observe its reality in comparison to the reality in the West.
Every citizen in the DPRK has a right to elect and to be elected. Workers, farmers, and intellectuals can be elected deputies to people’s assemblies at all levels including the Supreme People’s Assembly (Parliament in the Western countries), and participate directly in the state administration. In the West, however, the right to elect and to be elected is granted according to the duration of residence and property status. It is rare that workers and peasants are elected to the Parliament or local councils.
Unemployment always exists in any Western country no matter how developed it may be, but there is no word unemployment in the DPRK. The state provides all citizens of working age with suitable jobs according to their wishes and aptitudes.
There are no homeless people in the country. The state provides houses to the working people free of charge. Ordinary workers and office employees live in the excellent apartment houses in Mirae Scientists and Ryomyong streets in Pyongyang, which are admired by many people in the world. When flooding hit the country last year, the state built new houses for the flood victims through an all-out drive. The newly-built houses numbered over 20 000.
The Korean people are not concerned about nursing, education, and medical treatment. The state bears the whole burden of looking after and bringing up children. University and extracurricular educations, to say nothing of primary and secondary educations, are free. The state enforces universal 12-year compulsory education, which is a high level in the world. Ri (dong) – the smallest rural administrative district in North Korea - has a hospital or clinic, and residents have doctors assigned to them. Everyone receives free medical care.
Such facts, if known to the international community, will be nothing but the biggest trouble for those who are trying to isolate and stifle the DPRK. That is why the West is so enthusiastic about tarnishing the image of the DPRK.