The following is an op-ed contributed by the UN's Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to mark the May 28 release of their report: “The Price is Rights: The violation of the right to an adequate standard of living in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

The legitimacy of any government rests on its ability to fulfill the basic needs of the people it governs. This includes ensuring enough nutritious food to eat, clean water to drink, and clothes to stay warm in.