Overview

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, also known as North Korea) is a highly centralised totalitarian state. Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, it maintains one of the largest militaries and devotes significant resources to its illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. These programs pose a serious threat to international peace and security and a major challenge to global non-proliferation objectives.

Australia works closely with the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and other like-minded partners to support the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the DPRK, as required by United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions. Australia is committed to strictly enforcing all UN Security Council sanctions against the DPRK. We have also supplemented those sanctions with our own autonomous sanctions against the DPRK.

Australia maintains only limited diplomatic relations with the DPRK. The relationship continues to be severely constrained because of Australia's serious concerns over the DPRK's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. Australia has consistently condemned the DPRK's development of nuclear weapons, nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, all of which violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Australia has called on the DPRK to cease its provocative actions and make a sustained commitment to dialogue.

Australia's limited bilateral aid program to the DPRK was suspended in 2002 due to concerns about the DPRK's nuclear weapons program. Separately, Australia suspended payments to the UN World Food Program's (WFP) operations in DPRK in October 2017 after the DPRK refused several requests by Australian officials to visit, rendering us unable to determine whether our funds were being used as intended.

Human rights

Australia has a long history of raising concerns over serious human rights violations in the DPRK, including in UN forums. Violations extend to the systematic and daily denial of fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression and association, thought, conscience and belief; torture; public executions; collective punishment; and the extensive use of forced labour camps with oppressive conditions.

The 2014 Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights in the DPRK, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, gave a detailed account of widespread and systematic human rights violations in the DPRK. The inquiry concluded that, in many instances, the violations of human rights found by the Commission constituted crimes against humanity. It made several recommendations to the DPRK, other states, and the international community. Australia urges the DPRK to adopt the recommendations of this report and to cooperate with efforts to hold to account those responsible for grave human rights violations.

The DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs

The DPRK has two operational nuclear reactors, both located at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Centre. The country conducted its first nuclear test on 9 October 2006 and has completed six such tests in total. As the only country to have conducted a nuclear explosive test in the 21st century, the DPRK’s actions violate multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and run contrary to the strong global norm against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The DPRK’s parallel pursuit of ballistic missile capabilities undermines global peace and stability. All ballistic missile launches by the DPRK are banned by multiple UN Security Council resolutions and threaten the security of our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific.

Due to the DPRK’s ongoing illegal development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities, the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on the DPRK since 2006, most recently through resolution 2397 adopted in December 2017.

Australia-DPRK relations

Australia and the DPRK established diplomatic relations in 1974. The DPRK opened an embassy in Canberra in December 1974, and Australia opened an embassy in Pyongyang in April 1975. Diplomatic relations were interrupted in November 1975, when the DPRK withdrew its embassy from Canberra and expelled Australian Embassy staff from Pyongyang.

In the period after 1975, Australia maintained limited contact with the DPRK. All contact ceased during the 1993-1994 nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula but resumed with a number of unofficial and privately sponsored bilateral visits in the late 1990s. In May 2000, Australia resumed diplomatic relations through the Australian Embassy in Beijing. The DPRK re-opened an embassy in Canberra in May 2002 but closed it in January 2008. Diplomatic relations are now conducted via the DPRK's Embassy in Jakarta and Australia's Embassy in Seoul.

Commercial links and sanctions

Australia continues to implement sanctions against the DPRK, pursuant to numerous UN Security Council resolutions, as well as our own autonomous sanctions regime. UN Security Council and autonomous sanctions against the DPRK include (but are not limited to) import and export restrictions on arms and materiel, ballistic missile- or weapons of mass destruction-related technologies, new helicopters, vessels, refined petroleum products, industrial machinery, rare earth metals, seafood, textiles, and luxury goods. There are also prohibitions on the provision of certain services and commercial activities, such as dealing with a financial institution based in the DPRK. Information concerning Australia's sanctions on the DPRK can be found at Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) sanctions regime.

Before initiating commercial activities, Australian companies are advised to conduct thorough due diligence and seek appropriate independent legal advice to determine whether the proposed activities will contravene Australia’s sanctions law. Australian companies should also be aware of the poor payment record of many DPRK agencies in past commercial ventures.