Kathmandu: In a landmark move, a North Korean defector is filing both civil and criminal charges against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and four other officials, marking the first legal action of its kind by a defector born in the North, according to a BBC report.
Choi Min-kyung, who escaped to China in 1997 but was forcibly repatriated in 2008, alleges she was tortured and sexually abused during her detention in North Korea. She eventually fled again in 2012 and now resides in South Korea.
The case, to be filed in a Seoul court on Friday, is being supported by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), which also plans to submit her case to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.
“This small step should become a cornerstone for restoring freedom and human dignity,” Choi said in a statement issued by NKDB.
While South Korean courts have previously issued symbolic verdicts against the North in cases brought by South Korean citizens, this is the first to pursue criminal accountability alongside civil claims for crimes against humanity. NKDB Executive Director Hanna Song told BBC Korean that this dual approach adds legal weight and recognition for victims.
North Korea has not responded to previous similar lawsuits, including a 2023 ruling awarding compensation to South Korean prisoners of war and a 2024 decision favoring Korean Japanese defectors deceived by repatriation promises.
Song emphasized that such rulings offer more than financial relief—they provide official acknowledgment of victims’ suffering, which, she said, is what most survivors ultimately seek.
-BBC