“Despite intense lobbying by North Korea and its allies, a key committee of the U.N. General Assembly agreed to urge the Security Council to refer the leaders of North Korea to the International Criminal Court for prosecution for crimes against humanity,” CBS News reported tonight.
A referral by the U.N. Security Council to the ICC is tantamount to a criminal indictment. The General Assembly’s action resulted from an inquiry led by an Australian judge that documented “state-sponsored abductions, forced labor, starvation, rape, forced abortion, infanticide, torture, and summary executions.”
North Korea’s reaction indicates it is genuinely concerned that its top leaders might face international criminal prosecution. This appears to explain why North Korea abruptly released three captive Americans recently: “In an effort to improve its image globally, North Korea launched a ‘charm offensive,’ releasing three detained Americans and saying it is open to nuclear and reunification talks.”
The horrors of North Korea’s gulag were described in detail by Seattle-based author Blaine Harden’s book, Escape From Camp 14, an account of Shin Dong-hyuk’s experiences in the North Korean prison camp where he was 
born and lived his entire life until he escaped. Shin’s description of life in the gulag has been corroborated by a number of other former prisoners and camp guards.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-push-against-north-korea-on-human-rights-moves-ahead/