The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is building factories and hospitals, rolling out smartphones and mobile banking, and passing new laws at an unprecedented rate. But its people are more cut off from the outside world than at any point in the country's history.
That is the picture painted by James Heenan, head of the UN human rights office ( OHCHR ) in the South Korean capital, Seoul. His team monitors the DPRK from beyond its borders because, as he puts it, "almost no one" can get in.
Speaking to UN News in New York, Mr. Heenan described a country where hunger remains a constant, forced labour touches every family and the border with China is so tightly sealed that even illegal crossings have all but stopped.
Yet he warned against seeing the DPRK - more commonly known as North Korea - as frozen in time. "The country is constantly changing, like every country in the world," he said.
UN News: How does your office monitor human rights in the DPRK without direct access?
James Heenan: Well, it's a tricky situation because we don't have direct access to the country. Almost no one does at the moment. It's very closed. In fact, historically, it's never been more closed. We monitor, therefore, from outside.
We prioritise information from direct witnesses, so people who have suffered violations themselves, or who have witnessed them, or whose family members have suffered violations.
