A North Korean defector, Choi Min-kyung, is preparing to file both civil and criminal charges against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and four other officials for the abuse she endured while imprisoned in North Korea.

Choi first escaped to China in 1997 but was forcibly sent back to North Korea in 2008, where she said she suffered sexual abuse and torture. She fled North Korea again in 2012 and now lives in South Korea, though she continues to deal with psychological trauma and relies on medication.

The case, set to be filed this Friday, is the first time a North Korean-born defector has taken legal action against the regime, according to the South Korea-based rights group Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), which is assisting Choi.

While South Korean courts have previously ruled against North Korea in similar abuse cases brought by South Koreans, those verdicts have mostly been symbolic and ignored by Pyongyang. NKDB also plans to bring Choi’s case to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

“I hope this small step becomes a foundation for restoring freedom and human dignity, so no more innocent North Koreans suffer under this brutal regime,” Choi said in a statement released by NKDB. “As a torture victim and survivor, I feel a deep responsibility to hold the Kim dynasty accountable for crimes against humanity.”

International human rights groups have long documented widespread abuses in North Korea, including mistreatment of political prisoners and systemic discrimination based on gender and class.

Hanna Song, executive director of NKDB, told BBC Korean that this lawsuit is significant because it includes criminal charges alongside civil claims. Previous legal cases against North Korea have been limited to civil litigation.

In recent years, South Korean courts have ordered North Korea to pay damages in cases involving abuses of South Korean prisoners of war and Korean Japanese defectors who were forcibly taken to North Korea decades ago under false promises but instead endured detention and forced labour. North Korea has not responded to these lawsuits.

Song said the court rulings offer victims much-needed closure. “What victims really seek isn’t just financial compensation, it’s acknowledgment. A court ruling in their favour tells them their story is heard, acknowledged by the state, and recorded in history.”

Faridah Abdulkadiri

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