Women's Rights under the North Korean Division System

Key Chapter Title List

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance
4. U.S. Military Bases
5. Separated Families
6. Policy Recommendations
7. Conclusion

Document Introduction

Against the backdrop of intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition and the prominence of a "new Cold War" structure, the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula continues to deepen, with increasing militarization and a further escalation of inter-Korean confrontation. This "division system" not only hinders the peninsula's peace and reconciliation process but also has a profound and often overlooked impact on human rights conditions, with women becoming one of the greatest victims of geopolitical games and the lingering effects of war.

This report was released in March 2025 by the leading global Korean Peninsula peace movement organization "Women Cross DMZ." It focuses on the specific hardships faced by women over the 80 years of the peninsula's division, centering on three major issues: the threat of landmines, the presence of U.S. military bases, and family separation. Through historical tracing, case analysis, and comparison with international human rights frameworks, the report reveals how the division system systematically exacerbates violations of women's rights and the lack of a gender perspective in existing response measures.

At the specific issue level, the report points out that the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), as the area with the highest density of landmines in the world, continues to pose a threat to the safety of female civilians engaged in agricultural production due to its legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Both North and South Korea's demining operations and victim assistance mechanisms lack gender-responsive measures. The presence and expansion of U.S. military bases in South Korea cause dual harm: on one hand, women in the "base villages" (kijichon) surrounding the bases have long suffered systematic sexual violence and exploitation, perpetuating the historical trauma of the "comfort women" system; on the other hand, the expansion of bases like the Pyeongtaek Camp Humphreys has led to a large number of female farmers losing their land and having their livelihoods severely disrupted. Furthermore, among the millions of families separated by the Korean War, women bear the primary emotional, social, and economic burdens. The stagnation of official family reunions and travel restrictions are causing the hope of reunion for this generation to gradually fade.

Based on international standards such as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, the report emphasizes that human rights protection must transcend geopolitical confrontation and adopt a comprehensive and pragmatic approach. Research data and cases are drawn from field records of international organizations, official statistics from North and South Korea, and survivor testimonies, including the personal experiences of numerous female victims, providing a solid empirical foundation for the analysis.

Finally, the report proposes four core recommendations: constructing a comprehensive and pragmatic human rights protection framework; enacting landmine governance legislation that considers gender impacts; establishing an accountability mechanism for survivors of militarized violence; and restarting separated family reunions while lifting travel restrictions. These recommendations aim to integrate a women's perspective into the peninsula's peace process, promote the dismantling of the division system by safeguarding women's rights, and offer new ideas for achieving lasting peace and human security on the peninsula.