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Canada-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Relations

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Bilateral relations

Canada recognized the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in 2000. Diplomatic relations between Canada and North Korea were established in 2001. They are maintained through the Embassy of Canada in Seoul (cross-accredited to North Korea), and North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. Sweden acts as Canada’s protecting power in Pyongyang.

North Korea’s aggressive actions in 2010 led Canada to adopt a Controlled Engagement Policy toward North Korea, which remains in place. Under this policy, official bilateral contact with the North Korean government is limited to:

Canada remains gravely concerned by North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs, and calls on North Korea to:

Canada also calls on North Korea to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Sanctions

In 2011, the Government of Canada imposed autonomous sanctions against North Korea under the Special Economic Measures (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations, made under the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA). The SEMA sanctions include:

Some exceptions exist for the provision of humanitarian goods, and persons in Canada or Canadians outside Canada can apply for a permit or a certificate authorizing them to carry out activities in relation to North Korea that would otherwise be prohibited.

These sanctions are in addition to those imposed by Canada as a result of UN Security Council Resolutions.

Increased missile and nuclear testing by North Korea in 2016 and 2017 resulted in a number of successive UN Security Council resolutions strengthening UN sanctions measures. Canada has incorporated the necessary measures of all relevant UNSC resolutions under the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which falls under the United Nations Act.

For a list of prohibitions under the the United Nations Act Regulations and for additional information on sanctions against North Korea, please consult the Canadian Sanctions Related to North Korea page on the Canadian Sanctions website.

North Korea uses increasingly sophisticated tactics to evade international sanctions, including theft and other malicious activities in cyber space. North Korea’s state-sponsored cyber actors conduct disruptive attacks around the world and have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from financial institutions, corporations, and individuals. North Korea also circumvents sanctions on its imports through the use of ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum and other products banned by UN Security Council resolutions. Canada contributes to a multinational effort to counter North Korea’s maritime sanctions evasion. In April 2019,  that Canada will periodically deploy ships, aircraft and personnel to the Northeast Asia region under Operation NEON. In March 2023, Operation NEON was extended until spring 2026.

Human rights

Canada is deeply concerned by North Korea’s egregious human rights violations. Canada regularly calls on North Korea to address systematic human rights abuses and urges it to abide by international human rights laws and standards.

Canada engages actively on the issue of human rights in North Korea at both the United Nations Human Rights Council and at the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee.

At the Human Rights Council, we continue to support resolutions raising concerns on the human rights situations in North Korea at the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. Canada also engages actively in the Universal Periodic Review process. See Canada’s 2019 recommendations.

Canada is also supportive of the work of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Special Rapporteur’s latest report on North Korea can be found at the website of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In December 2022, the UN General Assembly passed by consensus a resolution condemning North Korean human rights violations, marking the 18th year in a row that such a resolution was passed by the assembly.

Humanitarian assistance

North Korea has suffered widespread food shortages during the past two decades. Since 2005, Canada has provided $40.4 million to support the international humanitarian response in North Korea. Our humanitarian assistance funding is channelled through experienced multilateral partners such as the UN World Food Programme and UNICEF, whose work is guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. Canada does not provide any humanitarian assistance funding to the Government of North Korea nor to North Korean organizations. We closely monitor this multilateral programming through interactions with partners and through regular and ongoing reporting. A small number of Canadian NGOs continue to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea within the framework of Canadian and international sanctions.

North Korea

North Korea is an authoritarian state governed by the Korean Workers’ Party under the dynastic leadership of Kim Il Sung (1948-1994), his son Kim Jong Il (1994-2011), and his grandson Kim Jong Un (2011–present). North Korea declared itself a state in 1948. Its current border with the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was defined under the armistice agreement that brought an end to hostilities in the Korean War. During the war, Canada contributed more than 26,000 soldiers to the United Nations Command (UNC), the multinational force that countered North Korean aggression. Canada continues to contribute to the UNC today, exemplifying an enduring commitment to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea is the only country to have carried out nuclear tests in the 21st century. It first tested a nuclear device in 2006 and has conducted six such tests to date. The origins of the nuclear crisis began when North Korea declared its unilateral withdrawal from the Non-proliferation Treaty in 1993. Negotiations that followed between the United States and North Korea led to the 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework. However, tensions rose again in 2002 when North Korea admitted to developing highly enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons. Negotiations to denuclearize North Korea began in 2003 under the framework of the Six-Party Talks, which continued until 2009 when North Korea announced its withdrawal from that process. In 2016 and 2017, North Korea conducted three nuclear tests and dozens of ballistic missile launches, all contrary to UN Security Council resolutions. This led the international community to impose significant additional sanctions. To date, the UNSC has adopted 10 separate resolutions imposing sanctions on North Korea, including four in 2017 alone.

North Korea has continued to conduct ballistic missile launches, including of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Canada continues to condemn these violations of UNSC resolutions and to call on North Korea to return to dialogue.

In January 2018, Canada and the U.S. co-hosted the Vancouver Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula. The meeting was attended by representatives from 20 countries with the shared goal of advancing diplomatic efforts towards a stable, secure and denuclearized Korean Peninsula. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Canada’s unequivocal commitment to diplomatic efforts that create the conditions for a negotiated solution.

In 2018, Canada also advanced the North Korea nuclear issue during its G7 Presidency. We also increased our contribution of personnel to the UNC in South Korea. Lt.-Gen. Wayne D. Eyre from the Canadian Forces was the first non-American to have been appointed Deputy Commander of the UNC, and served from 2018 to 2019.

Continued efforts to engage North Korea diplomatically have been unsuccessful in advancing denuclearization. Canada continues to work alongside partners to achieve a negotiated, diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue.

Since 2020, North Korea has implemented drastic measures to isolate the country from the COVID-19 pandemic, including closing its borders to all goods and travel. These measures have also caused all humanitarian organisations and many foreign missions to temporarily close and to recall their diplomats.

Operations

Through Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program, we provide funding to numerous projects:

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