"Defector files lawsuit against Kim Jong-un over torture and sexual abuse in North Korean prisons"

However, Choi’s case is distinct as it directly targets high-ranking officials, including Kim Jong-un, and seeks both compensation and criminal accountability.

Choi Min-kyung, 53, demanded 50 million won (US$37,000) in damages from the North Korean government, represented by its leader and six other officials. She also submitted a criminal complaint urging prosecutors to pursue crimes against humanity charges against them.

The legal filings, submitted to a Seoul court and the prosecutor’s office last week, mark what advocates describe as the first attempt by a defector to hold North Korea legally accountable for human rights violations in South Korean courts.

“Even after 13 years in South Korea, I still endure severe PTSD from the torture I suffered and rely on medication to function,” Choi told *CuriosityNews*. “The scars covering my body are proof of the brutal conditions in North Korea.”

Choi first fled North Korea in 1997 but was forcibly returned from China four times between 2000 and 2008. During her final detention in 2008, she spent five months in three different facilities in North Hamgyong province.

The complaints, reviewed by *CuriosityNews*, cite specific alleged abuses, including sexual assault during an invasive search, beatings that ruptured her eardrum and knocked her unconscious, and prolonged forced positions lasting over 15 hours each day.

Her legal team includes Lee Young-hyun, a North Korean defector who became the first lawyer from the North licensed to practice in South Korea.

The Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), supporting the case, intends to use it to assist future submissions to UN bodies and the International Criminal Court.

“This case could set a legal precedent in South Korea, where courts have rarely addressed crimes against humanity,” said Seongyeop Lee, a human rights analyst at NKDB.

“With other victims considering legal action, this lawsuit may pave the way for collective cases and further accountability efforts.”

Both filings name Kim Jong-un as a defendant, asserting his responsibility under the legal principle that North Korean officials act under his authority.

The complaint references the 2014 UN investigation concluding that North Korea committed widespread crimes against humanity, including torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention. The report documented abuses in the country’s political prison camps, estimated to hold tens of thousands.

Previous lawsuits against North Korea have involved former prisoners of war or their relatives, but this case is notable for directly targeting senior officials while seeking reparations and criminal consequences.