A former soldier in North Korea’s army has revealed the terrible treatment that women are forced to endure while serving in Kim Jong-un’s military, including being forced to undergo abortions against their will, without anaesthetic.
The defector known as Jennifer Kim, who managed to escape the communist country, spoke of her horrric experiences to the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK).
She said that a political adviser raped her when she was 23 years old. “If I refuse his request, I can’t become a member of the Workers’ Party of Korea”, she said.
“If I return to society without being able to join the party, I’m perceived as a problem child and I will be stigmatised for the rest of my life.
“That means you won’t be able to get a good job and it will be a problem when you try to marry – what could I have chosen?”
As a result of the rape, she became pregnant. She was then forced to report to a medical centre for an abortion.
“A military surgeon was already waiting for me. He performed an abortion on me without anaesthesia – it still haunts me today.
“Because of that experience, not only do I still struggle mentally, but I’m also not able to have children.”
Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of HRNK, condemned the North Korean leadership and alleged that mistreatment of women led “all the way to the top” of the North Korean state.
“The abuse the nation’s daughters in uniform suffer at the hands of the regime’s henchmen reflects the deeply-embedded and incurable pervertedness and corruption of the party.”
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “The shocking account of Jennifer Kim’s sufferings demonstrates how abortion can be weaponised against women and used to cover up the crimes of men and the state.
“We must never forget that abortion harms women and is 100% unsafe for unborn children.
“Coercion, which often leads to abortion, is a sad reality for countless women around the world.
“It must be combatted. Women and babies must be protected.”
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