Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington of 11 February 2026 (HL14050), whether Inter Mediate is undertaking any work in, or with, North Korea funded by the UK Government.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
For over ten years, Inter Mediate and the UK Government have successfully partnered to advance peace efforts around the globe. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) supports a range of civil society and non-governmental organisations through its mediation and conflict resolution programme. Given the sensitive and discreet nature of these efforts, we do not disclose details of the projects supported. This ensures that neither the safety of partners, nor the integrity of ongoing peace efforts are compromised. This is in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the FCDO's approach to aid transparency, whereby information is excluded from publication where sharing could pose risks to international relations, compromise the security and safety of partners, prejudice national security, or reveal personal data that could infringe on privacy or breach confidentiality.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of conditions for freedom of religion or belief in North Korea; and what discussions she has had with her North Korean counterpart on that topic.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he received on 5 March in response to Question 114767.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the creation of fake operatives posing as remote workers by North Korea.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Home Secretary on this issue.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries the UK has prisoner transfer agreements with.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Enhancing our bilateral prisoner transfer capability is a government priority. We remain fully committed to transferring eligible foreign national offenders from the UK so they can serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country, and to repatriating British nationals imprisoned overseas.
Compulsory bilateral agreements
The UK has compulsory bilateral prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs) with Albania, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and Rwanda. These agreements state that the consent of the prisoner is not required for transfer, although both States must agree to the transfer. The UK has also recently signed a compulsory bilateral PTA with Italy, which is currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet been ratified.
Voluntary bilateral agreements
The UK also has voluntary bilateral PTAs, where the consent of the prisoner to transfer is required in addition to the agreement of both States, with the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, India, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand and Vietnam.
Multilateral arrangements
The UK has multilateral prisoner transfer arrangements with all States that are party to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. This includes:
All 27 European Union Member States.
NonEU Council of Europe members: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
Non‑Council of Europe States (as the Convention is also open to non‑Council of Europe members): Australia, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Panama, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States of America and Venezuela.
The UK also participates in the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth, which provides prisoner transfer arrangements with: Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Botswana, Tonga and Uganda.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 24853 on North Korea: Christianity, what assessment she has made of the steps taken by Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response to her Department's engagement on human rights issues, including on freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of severe persecution in North Korea for those adopting or practicing religion. We welcomed North Korea's participation in the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review's fourth cycle (in November 2024) and continue to urge North Korea to take concrete actions to fulfil its commitment to implement the accepted recommendations. We will continue to raise human rights issues with North Korean officials bilaterally and in multilateral fora, including to allow independent civil society organisations immediate and unhindered access to the country.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of North Korean military personnel who have become casualties during the conflict in Ukraine.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
It is highly likely that DPRK forces sustained more than 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Russian oblast of Kursk, amounting to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region. Russia has since publicly announced a further 6,000 deminers and reconstruction workers to be deployed to the Kursk region of Russia.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of Russia sending Ukrainian children to camps in North Korea; and if she will have discussions with her NATO counterparts on demanding the return of those children back to Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
These reports are highly alarming and would represent a further concerning aspect of the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 15 October, the kidnapping and forcible deportation of almost 20,000 Ukrainian children by Russia is one of the most disturbing aspects of this war, and we will continue to do all we can to support the return of those children, as well as monitoring the latest reports on their whereabouts and treatment.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the treatment of Christians in North Korea; and what steps the Government is taking to raise freedom of religion or belief with international partners.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by unacceptable reports of ongoing, widespread, and systematic human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Defending the right to freedom of religion or belief for all is a priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and a key strand of our DPRK human rights strategy. The UK regularly raises concerns about the DPRK's human rights violations, including the lack of freedom of religion or belief, both with the DPRK embassy in London and in multilateral fora. On 20 November 2025, the UK co-sponsored the UN General Assembly's Third Committee resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her South Korean counterpart on issues relating to the prospects for unification on the Korean peninsula.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Diplomacy and negotiations are the best way to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea is a valued partner with whom we routinely discuss these important issues.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage dialogue between North and South Korea.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Diplomacy and negotiations are the best way to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Republic of Korea is a valued partner with whom we routinely discuss these important issues.