National Documentation Packages (NDPs) are lists of public documents that provide information on country conditions. Updates occur on a regular basis.
NDPs support the refugee determination process. They do not imply recognition of a particular territory's sovereignty or political status.
NDPs include Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) published by the IRB on its website which may have attachments that are inaccessible due to technical constraints and may include translations of documents originally written in languages other than English or French. To obtain a copy of such attachments and/or translated version of the
RIR attachments, please
email us.
Jurisprudential Guides Notes
Jurisprudential Guides Notes
On
July 28, 2022, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide:
-
Decision TC1 05038 – The proper interpretation of the ‘generalized risk’ exception to protection found at subparagraph 97(1)(b)(ii) of the Act, in claims for protection involving allegations of gang-targeting or other acts of criminality.
On
December 22, 2020, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide.
-
Decision MB8-00025 – This Jurisprudential Guide addresses, in applying Article 1E of the Refugee Convention, whether members should consider allegations of risk in a country of residence if they conclude that a refugee claimant has the rights and obligations which are attached to the possession of nationality in that country.
On
July 6, 2018, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being a
Jurisprudential Guide.
-
Decision TB7-19851 – Nigeria – This Jurisprudential Guide addresses internal flight alternatives in major cities in south and central Nigeria for claimants fleeing non-state actors.
Revoked
The country documentation referenced in each of these decisions has been included in s.16 of the updated National Documentation Packages published on July 10, 2018.
On
July 20, 2017, the Chairperson identified the following Refugee Appeal Division decision as being
Jurisprudential Guides.
-
Decision TB7-01837 – Pakistan – Whether the treatment experienced by Ahmadis in Pakistan amounts to persecution, whether state protection is available and whether there is a viable internal flight alternative.
-
Decision MB6-01059/60 – India – Availability of an internal flight alternative in India for claimants from Punjab.
Revoked
-
Decision TB6-11632 – China – Analysis of the efficacy of the Chinese national computer network known as the Golden Shield Project and its impact on whether a person wanted by the authorities can exit China via an airport using a genuine passport.
Revoked
The country documentation referenced in each of these decisions has been included in s.16 of the updated National Documentation Packages published on July 20, 2017.
Back
29 January 2021
KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF (NORTH KOREA)
List of Documents
1.
General Information and Maps
Title:
North Korea. Administrative Divisions.
Source:
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
Accessed Date:
26 October 2012
Title:
Corée du Nord. L'Encyclopédie en ligne.
Date of Document:
July 2005
Accessed Date:
18 July 2016
Title:
Location of political prison camps (kwanliso) and ordinary prison camps (kyohwaso) in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
United Nations. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Accessed Date:
21 August 2014
Title:
Korea, North. The World Factbook.
Source:
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
Date of Document:
18 January 2021
Accessed Date:
21 January 2021
Title:
BTI 2020 Country Report — North Korea
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Country Information and Guidance. North Korea: Opposition to the Regime. Version 2.0.
Source:
United Kingdom. Home Office.
Date of Document:
October 2016
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Challenges to Human Rights Information Gathering in North Korea
Source:
Brookings Institution. International Forum on North Korea.
Date of Document:
28 November 2012
Accessed Date:
29 August 2016
Title:
U.S.-North Korea Relations
Source:
United States. Congressional Research Service.
Date of Document:
29 April 2020
Author:
Emma Chanlett-Avery; Mark E. Manyin
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Présentation de la Corée du Nord
Source:
France. Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Développement international.
Date of Document:
May 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2019.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
11 March 2020
Accessed Date:
20 March 2020
Title:
Korea (Democratic People's Republic of). Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019.
Source:
Amnesty International
Date of Document:
29 January 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
North Korea. World Report 2021: Events of 2020.
Source:
Human Rights Watch
Accessed Date:
15 January 2021
Title:
Pyongyang Republic: North Korea's Capital of Human Rights Denial
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
9 February 2016
Accessed Date:
18 July 2016
Title:
Compilation on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Code:
A/HRC/WG.6/33/PRK/2
Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date of Document:
26 February 2019
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Denied from the Start: Human Rights at the Local Level in North Korea
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
19 December 2018
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
United Nations. Human Rights Council.
Date of Document:
1 May 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
North Korea. Freedom in the World 2020.
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
United Nations. General Assembly.
Date of Document:
30 July 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
An Investigation into the Human Rights Situation in North Korea's Political Prison Camps: Testimonies of Detainee Families
Date of Document:
29 May 2018
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 5 of the annex Human Rights Council resolution 16/21: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Code:
A/HRC/WG.6/33/PRK/1
Source:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Date of Document:
20 February 2019
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Summary of Stakeholders' submissions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Code:
A/HRC/WG.6/33/PRK/3
Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date of Document:
18 February 2019
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
3.
Identification Documents and Citizenship
Title:
The situation of citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) who approach embassies of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in Canada or in other countries to request citizenship; whether North Koreans are automatically...
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
18 December 2012
Accessed Date:
28 August 2013
Title:
Settlement support for North Korean Defectors. 2019 Unification White Paper.
Source:
Republic of Korea. Ministry of Unification.
Accessed Date:
27 February 2020
Title:
Processing times for North Koreans to obtain South Korean citizenship and passports; whether there are any restrictions on international travel for North Koreans who have defected to South Korea
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
1 March 2012
Accessed Date:
26 October 2012
Title:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea: Whether there are any limitations on the eligibility for citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to obtain citizenship in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), incl...
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
2 August 2013
Accessed Date:
12 December 2013
Title:
Chapter V: Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens. Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)'s Constitution of 1972 with Amendments through 2016
Source:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Nationality Act of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
Source:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Accessed Date:
20 January 2020
Title:
North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act (Amended 2018)
Source:
Republic of Korea
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Republic of Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Requirements and procedures for citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to obtain citizenship in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), including whether there ...
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
18 February 2020
Accessed Date:
27 February 2020
4.
Political Activities and Organizations - (No items in this section)
5.
Gender, Domestic Violence and Children
Title:
“You Cry at Night but Don't Know Why”: Sexual Violence against Women in North Korea
Source:
Human Rights Watch
Date of Document:
1 November 2018
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Lost Generation: The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
18 October 2019
Author:
W. Courtland Robinson et al.
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
'I still feel the pain…': Human rights violations against women detained in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date of Document:
28 July 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
6.
Sexual Minorities - (No items in this section)
7.
Criminality and Corruption
Title:
Illicit: North Korea's Evolving Operations to Earn Hard Currency
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Author:
Sheena Chestnut Greitens
Accessed Date:
19 July 2016
Title:
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Tier 3. Trafficking in Persons Report 2020.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
25 June 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Section 8: Party-Military Relations. North Korea's Organization and Guidance Department: The Control Tower on Human Rights Denial.
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
18 September 2019
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
9.
Judiciary, Legal and Penal Systems
Title:
Gulag, Inc.: The Use of Forced Labor in North Korea's Export Industries.
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
26 May 2016
Accessed Date:
19 July 2016
Title:
Update: Overview of the North Korean Legal System and Legal Research
Date of Document:
May 2019
Author:
Patricia Goedde; Martin Weiser
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Mapping the Fate of the Dead: Killings and Burials in North Korea.
Source:
Transitional Justice Working Group
Date of Document:
June 2019
Author:
Sarah A. Son et al.
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
“Worth Less Than an Animal” Abuses and Due Process Violations in Pretrial Detention in North Korea
Source:
Human Rights Watch
Date of Document:
19 October 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
10.
Police and Security Forces - (No items in this section)
Title:
Connection Denied: Restrictions on mobile phones and outside information in North Korea
Source:
Amnesty International
Date of Document:
9 March 2016
Accessed Date:
19 July 2016
Title:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. International Religious Freedom Report for 2019.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
10 June 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
North Korea. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2020 Annual Report.
Source:
United States. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Date of Document:
April 2020
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
13.
Nationality, Ethnicity and Race - (No items in this section)
14.
Exit/Entry and Freedom of Movement
Title:
North Korean Refugees in China. Annual Report 2018.
Source:
United States. Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
Date of Document:
10 October 2018
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Whether defectors from North Korea are monitored by South Korean authorities in South Korea; if so, the nature of the monitoring and whether it continues after North Koreans obtain South Korean citizenship; whether defectors who object...
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
1 March 2012
Accessed Date:
26 October 2012
15.
Labour, Employment and Unions - (No items in this section)
16.
Other - (No items in this section)
The following changes have been made to the previous package dated 31 March 2020:
Title:
Korea, North. The World Factbook.
Source:
United States. Central Intelligence Agency.
Date of Document:
7 February 2020
URL:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html
Accessed Date:
24 January 2020
Title:
North Korea. Amnesty International Annual Report 2017/18: The State of the World's Human Rights.
Source:
Amnesty International
Date of Document:
22 February 2018
Accessed Date:
20 January 2020
Title:
North Korea. World Report 2020: Events of 2019.
Source:
Human Rights Watch
Date of Document:
January 2020
URL:
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/north-korea
Accessed Date:
20 January 2020
Title:
North Korea. Freedom in the World 2019.
URL:
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/north-korea
Accessed Date:
26 September 2019
Title:
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of. U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
URL:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/KoreaDemocraticPeoplesRepublicof.html
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (Tier 3). Trafficking in Persons Report 2019.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
20 June 2019
URL:
https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report-2/democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea/
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea. International Religious Freedom Report for 2018.
Source:
United States. Department of State.
Date of Document:
21 June 2019
URL:
https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/democratic-peoples-republic-of-korea/
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
North Korea. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom 2019 Annual Report.
Source:
United States. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Date of Document:
April 2019
URL:
https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Tier1_NORTHKOREA_2019.pdf
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Starvation and malnutrition, including periods of food shortages from 1990 to 2012
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
19 July 2012
URL:
http://irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/ResRec/RirRdi/Pages/index.aspx?doc=454095
Accessed Date:
26 October 2012
Keywords:
children; country overview; humanitarian situation; institutional efficacy
Title:
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Source:
United Nations. General Assembly.
Date of Document:
2 August 2019
URL:
https://undocs.org/A/74/275
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Source:
United Nations. General Assembly.
Date of Document:
6 August 2018
URL:
https://undocs.org/A/73/308
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
Whether North Korean defectors to South Korea are issued government documents that indicate they are genuine defectors
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
29 February 2012
URL:
http://irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/ResRec/RirRdi/Pages/index.aspx?doc=453874
Accessed Date:
26 October 2012
Keywords:
citizenship; identity documents; legislation
Title:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea: The North Korean Defector Resident Registration Certificate, including purpose, issuance procedures, and duration; prevalence of fraudulent certificates
Source:
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Date of Document:
10 September 2013
URL:
http://irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/ResRec/RirRdi/Pages/index.aspx?doc=454789&pls=1
Accessed Date:
12 December 2013
Title:
I. Political Transformation. Transformation Index 2018 Country Report: North Korea.
Source:
Bertelsmann Stiftung.
URL:
https://www.bti-project.org/fileadmin/files/BTI/Downloads/Reports/2018/pdf/BTI_2018_North_Korea.pdf
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
North Korea. Freedom of the Press 2017.
URL:
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2017/north-korea
Accessed Date:
12 December 2019
Title:
BTI 2020 Country Report — North Korea
URL:
https://www.bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report-PRK.html
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
U.S.-North Korea Relations
Source:
United States. Congressional Research Service.
Date of Document:
29 April 2020
Author:
Emma Chanlett-Avery; Mark E. Manyin
URL:
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10246
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Présentation de la Corée du Nord
Source:
France. Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Développement international.
Date of Document:
May 2020
URL:
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/coree-du-nord/presentation-de-la-coree-du-nord/
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
United Nations. Human Rights Council.
Date of Document:
1 May 2020
URL:
https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/58
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
United Nations. General Assembly.
Date of Document:
30 July 2020
URL:
https://undocs.org/en/A/75/271
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Chapter V: Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens. Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)'s Constitution of 1972 with Amendments through 2016
Source:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
URL:
https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Peoples_Republic_of_Korea_2016.pdf?lang=en
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
Lost Generation: The Health and Human Rights of North Korean Children, 1990–2018
Source:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Date of Document:
18 October 2019
Author:
W. Courtland Robinson et al.
URL:
https://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Robinson_LG_WEB_FINALFINAL.pdf
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
'I still feel the pain…': Human rights violations against women detained in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Source:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Date of Document:
28 July 2020
URL:
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/KP/HR_Violations_against_Women_DPRK_EN.pdf
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Title:
“Worth Less Than an Animal” Abuses and Due Process Violations in Pretrial Detention in North Korea
Source:
Human Rights Watch
Date of Document:
19 October 2020
URL:
https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2020/10/northkorea1020_insert.pdf
Accessed Date:
4 January 2021
Disclaimer
National Documentation Packages (NDPs) include country-of-origin information that is publicly accessible at the time of publication and available within time constraints. While the Research Directorate strives to maintain the
NDP with current information, the research is not exhaustive and country conditions can change rapidly. Members of the public are invited to
suggest documents they feel are relevant to the
NDP.
NDPs are not, and do not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Rather, they are intended to support the refugee determination process. The assessment and weight to be given to the information in the
NDPs are the responsibility of independent
IRB members (decision-makers) after considering the evidence and arguments presented by the parties.
All sources are fully cited, including a hyperlink, to facilitate the location of the information. The
IRB will attempt to ensure that these links are maintained for the most recent
NDP. It cannot guarantee or be responsible for:
- the functionality of links to external sources,
- the content accessed by these links,
- the availability of external content in both English and French,
- any other part of a third party website.
The information presented in
NDPs solely reflects the views and perspectives of the sources cited and does not necessarily reflect the position of the
IRB or the Government of Canada.