Mapping crimes against humanity in North Korea

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“International norms and standards require that those responsible for human rights violations in theDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea, in particular for crimes against humanity, be held accountable.”This report presents the initial findings of our project, “Mapping Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea”(the Mapping Project), which identifies locations of suspected mass burial sites, killing sites and possiblesites containing documentary evidence linked to crimes against humanity in North Korea. 2 In support of theinternational push for accountability for decades of systematic human rights abuses, it contains maps andnumbers on these three categories of sites, based on two years of interviews with 375 former residents ofNorth Korea.The Mapping Project records specific location coordinates for sites identified that may contain evidenceconnected to human rights abuses that are within the scope of our inquiries. Using publicly-available GoogleEarth satellite imagery, the research participants identify the locations and key features of the sites types. Thecoordinates and associated testimonial data are then categorised and used to create visual maps.The maps and the accompanying testimonies create a picture of the scale of the abuses that have taken placeover decades. Certain patterns in the abuses are also emerging, even at this early stage of the research process.Our initial research indicates that burial sites are often located in mountainous areas, away from residentialareas, but may also be found in parts of common cemeteries and around prisons. Killing sites tend to befound in river beds, market places, near bridges, facilities for detention and imprisonment, and sports fields.Although it is beyond our current capabilities to investigate and analyse the sites due to lack of access, thisresearch is a crucial first step in the pursuit of accountability for human rights crimes. It is also designed toserve first responders 3 who may enter North Korea in the future. Part of our work involves looking intorapidly advancing remote sensing (RS) technologies, designed to detect and enhance analysis of sitescontaining human remains, for future application in North Korea.The report also contains selected findings from a survey of North Korean defectors. This survey gathersdefector opinions on key accountability mechanisms, including bringing charges against perpetrators ofhuman rights abuses, the adoption of truth-seeking mechanisms, the provision of reparations for victims, andthe investigation and exhumation of mass grave sites in North Korea, among other potential measures.The Mapping Project is still in its early stages: this report’s publication is intended to attract widerparticipation from both informants and technical practitioners with expertise and knowledge that willadvance the project.

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