Database Center for North Korean Human Rights

What Database Center for North Korean Human Rights does

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) is a Seoul-based non-governmental organization founded in 2003 that documents human rights violations in North Korea and provides direct relief to victims. Its core product is the Unified Human Rights Database — the world's largest repository of documented North Korean human rights abuses, containing 143,769 entries built from systematic interviews with over 20,000 North Korean escapees since 2003. The database underpins a portfolio of complementary products: the NKDB Visual Atlas (an interactive GIS mapping tool for forced repatriation and violation geography), the North Korean Human Rights Archives, an annual White Paper publication, topic-specific research reports, and UN UPR and SDGs monitoring modules. The organization maintains special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), granting formal standing within UN human rights mechanisms.

NKDB also operates direct service programs — a Resettlement Assistance Headquarters, a Center for Human Rights Legal Support, an Education Center for Korean Integration, and the West Gyeonggi Hana Center — alongside a physical Exhibition Hall ("Her Day in North Korea") used for public awareness and memorialization. It serves four primary stakeholder groups: international organizations and governments seeking evidence-based research, North Korean escapees requiring resettlement and trauma-informed care, the public/researchers/educators seeking accessible information, and victims of human rights abuses seeking legal redress.

The organization's revenue model is donation-driven rather than commercial: it explicitly aims to run 100% on public donations (monthly recurring, one-time, and corporate sponsorship) to ensure long-term sustainability amid geopolitical volatility. Publications are sold at $15-$20 per report with some offered free; pricing is not a meaningful revenue lever. Go-to-market is primarily through earned media (UPI, THE CHOSUN Daily, NK NEWS), organic social (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn), email newsletters, exhibitions, and institutional advocacy via UN and government channels. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or headcount growth data are publicly disclosed.

Name

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights

Legal name

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights

Website

https://en.nkdb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Seoul-based non-governmental organization founded in 2003 that documents North Korean human rights abuses through interviews with over 20,000 escapees, building the world's largest related database (143,769 entries), while providing resettlement aid, legal support, and UN advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG)

Keywords

• Human rights documentation
• Human rights research
• Refugee resettlement services
• Human rights advocacy
• Human rights databases

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NKDB systematically documents North Korean human rights abuses through structured interviews with more than 20,000 North Korean escapees, building the world's largest specialized database with 143,769+ entries. It delivers direct services to victims — including resettlement assistance, legal aid, and integration education — and publishes annual research reports, briefings, and exhibitions for the public, governments, and international organizations.

Product overview

NKDB operates as an integrated human rights documentation and advocacy organization built around a central digital database infrastructure. Its primary product is the Unified Human Rights Database (143,769+ entries), which is supported by the NKDB Visual Atlas for geographic visualization and the North Korean Human Rights Archives for long-term documentation. The organization extends its work through direct services — Resettlement Assistance, Legal Support, and Education/Integration centers — as well as publications (Research Reports, Annual Publications, Newsletter) and public exhibitions (Exhibition Hall / Her Day in North Korea). Specialized submodules cover Detention Facilities, UPR Monitoring, and SDGs Monitoring. The organization is funded entirely through public donations and maintains UN ECOSOC special consultative status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unified Human Rights Database Searchable case-level database covering violations documented through interviews with 20,000+ North Korean escapees, serving researchers, policymakers, and international organizations.
• NKDB Visual Atlas GIS-based interactive mapping platform that visualizes North Korean human rights data geographically for researchers and the public.
• North Korean Human Rights Archives Online historical archive that preserves and provides access to records related to North Korean human rights for researchers, educators, and the public.
• Annual Report on North Korean Human Rights Annual publication synthesizing NKDB's data and analysis on North Korean human rights, distributed to governments, UN bodies, researchers, and media.
• NKDB Newsletter Periodically published newsletter disseminating NKDB updates, research highlights, and awareness content to subscribers and supporters.
• Exhibition Hall and "Her Day in North Korea" Photo Exhibition Public-facing exhibition space operated by NKDB, including the "Her Day in North Korea" photo exhibition, designed to raise public awareness of conditions in North Korea.
• Resettlement Assistance Headquarters Direct service program that supports North Korean escapees with resettlement needs in South Korea.
• Center for Human Rights Legal Support Legal aid service providing legal assistance to North Korean victims and escapees in connection with human rights violations.
• Education Center for Korean Integration Educational program supporting the social and cultural integration of North Korean escapees into South Korean society.
• West Gyeonggi Hana Center Direct service center in West Gyeonggi delivering NKDB's local support services to North Korean escapees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 143,769 documented cases of human rights abuses in database
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and strong.

• International Forum Partners (Melbourne)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026NKDB co-hosted an international forum in Melbourne to address human trafficking of North Korean women in China
• helpalliancemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelpalliance provides funding support enabling NKDB's psycho-social assistance programs for North Korean escapees and victims of human rights abuses
• United Nations (ECOSOC)strongStrategic or Co-development PartnerNKDB holds special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, enabling formal engagement with UN human rights mechanisms and submissions
• German BundestagmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman Bundestag Vice President Bodo Ramelow and Ambassador Georg Wilfried Schmidt visited NKDB exhibition, indicating diplomatic and advocacy partnership
• US State DepartmentmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerUS State Department delegation visited NKDB's North Korean Human Rights Exhibition, indicating ongoing diplomatic engagement

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Crisis Group: Global conflict-prevention think tank producing policy briefs and reports on North Korea. Comparable in providing evidence-based policy research consumed by governments and international institutions, though focused on geopolitical rather than human rights framing.
• Human Rights Watch: Major international human rights research and advocacy organization that regularly documents North Korean abuses. Comparable in evidentiary methodology and policy engagement, though focused globally rather than North Korea-specific.
• Amnesty International: Global human rights organization that publishes country-specific reports on North Korea among many other jurisdictions. Comparable in advocacy and documentation methodology, but operates across the full human rights portfolio rather than specializing in North Korea.

Emerging players

• Refugees International: Advocacy organization focused on displacement crises globally, including North Korean refugees. Comparable in advocacy and direct-service orientation for displaced populations, though broader in geographic scope.

Direct peers

• Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU): South Korean government-affiliated research institute that publishes the annual White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea, often cited alongside NKDB. Directly comparable in subject matter, primary data sources, and South Korea-based policy audience.
• Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK): Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused exclusively on documenting North Korean human rights abuses through escapee testimony and reports. Directly comparable in mission, methodology, and target audience of policymakers and researchers, though U.S.-based rather than Seoul-based.
• Liberty in North Korea (LiNK): U.S.-based nonprofit focused on North Korean escapee resettlement support and awareness. Directly comparable in serving the same defector population and relying on public donations, though more focused on rescue and resettlement than systematic documentation.
• Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR): Seoul-based NGO operating since 1996, focused on North Korean human rights advocacy, escapee support, and international coalition building. Comparable in Seoul-based operations, target beneficiary populations, and donor-funded advocacy model.

Others

• UN OHCHR - Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on DPRK: The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea draws extensively on civil society documentation, including NKDB. Functionally comparable as an evidentiary and reporting body, though state-mandated rather than independent civil society.

Regional players

• Good Friends: South Korea-based NGO that historically published testimony-based reports on North Korean human rights. Comparable in North Korean-focused documentation, though its publication activity has been reduced in recent years.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/twtNKDB
• Facebookfacebook.com/nkdb.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/database-center-for-north-korean-human-rights

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Database Center for North Korean Human Rights