North Korea's legislative response to COVID-19: a way forward or backward?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea adopted the Emergency Communicable Disease Control Act. The DPRK's legislative response is noteworthy in five dimensions: effectiveness of communicable disease control; predictability of the authority's response; response to emerging non-traditional security challenges; development of legal techniques; and the role of law in the society. Several provisions in the Act however prompt questions about its compliance with international human rights norms, concerning the threshold for declaring a state of emergency, the proportionality of measures, and the prohibition of discrimination. The article explores whether this legislative response leads forward or backward for the DPRK.

Automated summary

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea adopted the Emergency Communicable Disease Control Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is notable for its effectiveness in controlling communicable diseases, predictability of the authority's response, response to emerging security challenges, development of legal techniques, and the role of law in society. However, certain provisions in the Act raise questions about its compliance with international human rights norms.