The Negative Effects of Sanctions on Human Rights: North Korea as a Case Study

Sanctions have become the principal means of international governance. As such, greater attention should be paid to their “unintended” consequences, particularly their humanitarian and human rights impact on the populations of the target country. Taking into consideration the human rights and humanitarian negative impacts of sanctions should serve as a fundamental criterion in assessing their legitimacy, while also challenging the dominant narrative that portrays sanctions as a peaceful and bloodless alternative to war. Integrating the human rights and humanitarian dimensions into sanctions framework should further guide the development of this area of international law. Despite the growing reliance on sanctions by States and international organizations, the legal framework governing their use remains in fact significantly underdeveloped and insufficiently regulated, resulting in a striking lack of accountability for their adverse consequences. This thesis focuses specifically on the case of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which has been subjected to one of the most extensive and enduring sanctions regimes in the world. Nevertheless, limited attention has been given to the adverse effects these measures have had on the North Korean population. This neglect stems both from the prevailing perception of sanctions as inherently non-violent tools and from the prioritization of non-proliferation objectives over human rights concerns, particularly in the context of authoritarian regimes. By providing a comprehensive overview of the sanctions imposed on North Korea, this thesis aims to address this gap in the literature and to demonstrate the significant negative consequences that such measures are having on the country’s population.