What is the Background?
In 2019, the United States and North Korea signed an agreement that committed North Korea to the release of three US detainees. However, there have been troubling reports that North Korea has not released all the US detainees and there is a continued lack of clarity as to who, if any, remain in North Korean custody. All US officials who have visited North Korea have been limited to visiting the detention center where the three US detainees, who have since been released, were located, but the US government has never received the same level of access to any other facilities.
The US government has publicly stressed its deep commitment to securing the release of all US nationals detained in North Korea. There have been extensive negotiations, diplomatic initiatives, and policy declarations all aiming to resolve the situation, but with little progress and no releases.
What are the Views of Experts?
According to experts, the lack of clarity about the status and whereabouts of US detainees in North Korea is concerning. Receiving direct access and a reliable assessment of the situation and the whereabouts of the detainees is essential in order to begin meaningful negotiation to secure the release of all US cages.
The North Korean government has expressed their view that the US detainees are their own citizens and should not be subject to the intervention of external actors including the US government. They also insist that the detainees have not been mistreated and have been provided with essential legal representation and medical care.
What is the United States Doing?
The US government has initiated meetings with North Korean counterparts in order to directly address the release of US detainees in their custody. But so far the North Korean government has been unwilling to provide the necessary access and to grant the US negotiators the kind of monitoring and evaluation necessary for the release of all US detainees.
Recently the US State Department announced the initiation of The North Korea Human Rights Reunification Initiative, whose primary mission is to create and maintain actionable contacts with the families of US detainees in North Korea, to ensure their safety, and to facilitate any necessary resettlement, travel, and repatriation.
What is the Impact?
The lack of clarity and the lack of access to the North Korean detention centers has had a profound impact on families of the detainees. There is a deep sense of fear, frustration and pain over the fate of the detainees and the conditions of their confinement. The uncertainty of the situation has created a tremendous strain for the families who are desperate for reliable information and for some assurance that their loved ones in North Korean custody do not suffer mistreatment or neglect.
This is further compounded by the fact that the US government has little comprehensive knowledge of either the condition or the whereabouts of the detainees and consequently the hope of getting them released is dwindling.
What is the Global Response?
In recent years, there have been increasing calls from the international community for North Korea to comply with international human rights standards and to end its government-sponsored rights violations. Furthermore, organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have been deeply involved in raising awareness of the plight of the US detainees in North Korea, and calling for the international community to do more to assist the families of those detained.
However, the North Korean government has remained largely unwilling to cooperate in any meaningful way. This has severely limited the ability of the international community to make any real progress in securing the release of the US detainees.
What are the US Government’s Barriers?
The US government has encountered several formidable barriers in their attempts to secure the release of US detainees from North Korea. One obstacle is the limited diplomatic relations between the two countries. The US government has been unable to make any progress in negotiating the release of US detainees because of a severe lack of diplomatic relations and deep mistrust between Washington and Pyongyang.
This is further compounded by the North Korean government’s consistent refusal to engage with the US government in any meaningful way, which has hampered the US government efforts to secure the release of US detainees. North Korea has often used the issue of US detainees as leverage and bargaining chip in international negotiations, further complicating any potential resolution.
What is the Opinion of the International Community?
The international community has expressed a sense of concern and frustration over the fact that the North Korean authorities have failed to respond to repeated requests for access and information regarding the whereabouts and conditions of the US detainee, who was originally sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly accessing a restricted military zone.
The lack of progress in the negotiations has been a source of immense frustration for the international community, which calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees and for North Korea to abide by all applicable international agreements and treaties.
However, due to the lack of diplomatic ties between the US and North Korea, the prospect of securing the release of the US detainees appears increasingly far-fetched.
What Solutions Are Available?
At present, the only potential way forward appears to be continued diplomatic dialog and an increased effort on the part of the US government to find innovative and creative ways to secure the release of the US captives. This could involve making a humanitarian appeal to North Korea, providing North Korea with specific incentives or providing North Korea with access to certain resources the country desperately needs. Another potential solution is the initiation of joint international activities including shared dialogue and an exchange of cultural, educational and scientific programs.
The recent reports of North Korea offering to open a liaison office in Washington DC is a potential sign of progress and may be a welcome opportunity for a renewed and productive dialog, which could lead to the release of US captives.
