**■ Analysis of 113 Victims of Enforced Disappearance Crimes**
**20% Disappeared Abroad, Including in China and Russia**
Over 80% of enforced disappearances in North Korea occurred under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of State Security, the country’s secret police and intelligence agency. Enforced disappearance involves the abduction and detention of individuals with state support or acquiescence, while concealing their fate or whereabouts. There are calls for a strong international response to this issue.
According to a report released on the 31st by the Transitional Justice Working Group, which investigates North Korean human rights issues, in-depth interviews were conducted with 62 North Korean defectors settled in South Korea. This revealed 113 cases of enforced disappearance. It was found that 92 of these cases (81.4%) were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of State Security. The Ministry was identified as the entity responsible for arresting and detaining 62 of the 113 victims. Additionally, it was found that 90 (79.6%) of the disappearances occurred within North Korea, while 23 (20.4%) took place abroad, in countries like China and Russia, leading to allegations of these governments’ responsibility in the crimes.
The victims of enforced disappearances were mostly young people in their 20s and 30s (38.9%, or 44 individuals), and there were also 13 children under the age of 10 (11.5%). In terms of gender, 66 were male (58.4%) and 47 were female (41.6%). The percentage of female victims is higher compared to regions like Latin America, where severe enforced disappearances range from 6% to 30%. The organization noted that in North Korea, individuals can be labeled as political criminals and forcibly disappeared for non-political actions or minor complaints.
An official from the organization emphasized that the international community must recognize and respond to enforced disappearances as a transnational crime, especially those occasions where North Korean agents conduct abductions with the tacit approval or connivance of local authorities.