The North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA)[1] was passed on March 3, 2016, by the Seoul National Assembly in the Republic of Korea. The act sets clear guidelines for the protection and advancement of human rights for current and former North Korean citizens in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The North Korean Human Rights Act became effective on September 4, 2016.
Act No. 14070 (NKHRA) outlines everything from the funding, research, and agencies to be established in order to carry out the purpose of the act. The NKHRA will create an annual plan to remedy alleged human rights abuses in North Korea and provide humanitarian assistance to North Korean citizens. It calls for the formation of an advisory committee that addresses problems faced by prisoners of war and separated families in the North. With the large number of afflicted individuals targeted by the NKHRA in mind, the act gives preference to the most vulnerable social groups such as children when assistance is to be provided. The act also aims to secure the physical safety of defectors and increases the flow of information to them by providing appropriate financial assistance to South Korean civil groups vis a vis specifically created bodies such as the North Korea Human Rights Foundation and the North Korean Human Rights Archive.
^"North Korean Human Rights Act". National Law Information Center. Ministry of Government Legislation. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
