UN reveals rights abuse at thriving markets in North Korea

SEOUL — A United Nations report said North Koreans working in hundreds of capitalistic-style markets are often abused and forced to engage in bribery to survive.

The U.N. Human Rights Office in a report released Tuesday noted that a failed public distribution system in North Korea has led to the rise of market activities over the past two decades.

But it said a lack of adequate reforms and an uncertain legal environment at these markets mean that many people face a host of human rights violations and must use bribes to avoid arrest, detention, and abuse.

It said its report is based on 214 firsthand accounts of North Koreans who resettled in South Korea.

The report said people in North Korea “are trapped in a vicious cycle.” /kga