UN reveals rights abuse at thriving markets in North Korea
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A U.N. report says North Koreans working in hundreds of capitalistic-style markets are often abused and forced to engage in bribery to survive.
The U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report released Tuesday that a failed public distribution system in North Korea has led to the rise of market activities over the past two decades.
But it says a lack of adequate reforms and an uncertain legal environment at these markets mean that many people face a host of human rights violations and must use bribes to avoid arrest, detention and abuse.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It says its report is based on 214 firsthand accounts of North Koreans who resettled in South Korea.
The report says people in North Korea "are trapped in a vicious cycle."