Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of disabled people in North Korea.

As set out in the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Annual Report, there was no evidence of improvement in the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2013, with the possible exception of a marginal improvement in disability rights.

The DPRK signed the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in July 2013. We understand that, following revision of its relevant legislation, the DPRK government is aiming to ratify the Convention by the end of 2016.

During 2014, our Embassy in Pyongyang has worked where possible with international and domestic organisations in the DPRK to promote disability rights and improve the treatment of disabled people. This included supporting a sports and cultural event for disabled children on the “National Day of People with Disability” to raise awareness of disability issues.

Internationally, we are keeping the spotlight on the DPRK on the range of human rights issues. We strongly supported the recent country resolution on human rights in the UN General Assembly Third Committee.