Kim Jong Un is getting sued. A North Korean defector has filed charges against the country’s supreme leader.
The plaintiff is a 53-year-old woman named Choi Min-kyung. She is suing Kim Jong Un and six North Korean officials over torture and sexual abuse in the regime’s notorious detention facilities.
Reports say that this is the first time that a North Korean defector is pursuing legal action against the regime over human rights violations.
Choi spent 5 months at various North Korean detention facilities in 2008. She faced systemic torture and sexual assault there. She now lives in South Korea, but she still suffers from PTSD.
Choi is suing Kim and his officials to create a precedent for other North Koreans who want to hold the regime accountable. A human rights group backing the case plans to take it to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.
There is no way to enforce any ruling against Kim. No mechanism exists that can bring him to justice, or force him to pay any compensation to his victims. But the case is likely to end in a symbolic victory for North Korean defectors everywhere.
