A Different Kind of President

Almost exactly five years ago, on February 7, 2014, the UN published a report in response to Resolution 22/13 (21 March 2013) on the dire human rights situation in North Korea. The Report of the commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republicof Korea delves into  a number of worrying areas:

·    Violations of the right to food
·    The full range of violations associated with prison camps
·    Torture and inhuman treatment
·   Arbitrary arrest and detention
·   Discrimination, in particular in the systemic denial and violation of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms
·   Violations of the freedom of expression
·   Violations of the right to life
·   Violations of the freedom of movement
·   Enforced disappearances, including in the form of abductions of nationals of other States

The report was damning on all accounts and concluded that:

Systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, its institutions and officials. In many instances, the violations of human rights found by the commission constitute crimes against humanity. These are not mere excesses of the State; they are essential components of a political system that has moved far from the ideals on which it claims to be founded. The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a State that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

The atrocities, of course, did not stop there; here are a few examples since then:

• Kim Kyong-Hui, Kim Jong Un's aunt was poisoned in May 2014 for objecting to the execution of her husband Jang Song Thaek (the previous December)
• O Sang-Hon, Deputy Minister of Public Security, was burned alive with a flame thrower for alleged corruption in December 2014
• Hyon Yong-chol, the Defence Minister, was blasted by an anti-aircraft missile for disloyalty
• Ri Yong Jin, an Education Ministry official and Hwang Min, an agricultural official,  were blasted with an anti-aircraft gun in August 2016 because they were deemed to have disrespected Kim Jong Un
• Kin Jong Un's half brother, Kim Jong Nam was assassinated on February 13, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a chemical nerve agent, allegedly on the Leader's orders because he was considered a threat...

Is any of this surprising? I guess not; not if one follows the news. And perhaps, by the same token, nor is Trump's February 9 Tweet eulogising Kim Jong Un: 

North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, will become a great Economic Powerhouse. He may surprise some but he won't surprise me, because I have gotten to know him and fully understand how capable he is. North Korea will become a different kind of Rocket - an Economic one!   

Whether Trump actually believes this, or whether he is just trying to ingratiate himself with Kim, is besides the point.This is not just a case of dubious opinions or negotiating tactics. No decent person, let alone the President of the United States of America, should be cosying up to leaders who commit such atrocities. Of course, this just one example of many (Putin, MBS, Netanyahu...) and Trump has made it clear that when it comes to human rights... HE DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN!