Abstract

The current study examines the transitional justice experience in Mongolia and identifies possible points of reference for the North Korean situation. As transitional justice is a process with various potential features at different time points, the case of Mongolia is examined from a typological perspective, which is also useful to overcome the lack of comprehensive and systematic information. In terms of the implementation type of transitional justice, the Mongolian case was centered on victim relief, as the social atmosphere was regrettably complicit in ignoring or denying the wrongdoings of the past. Moreover, most of the variables for successful transitional justice were weak or disadvantageous, as determined by the rapport de force and weak civil society after the passive, so-called “Democratic Revolution” in 1990. Albeit, the case of Mongolia represents a positive reference for a potential transition to democracy and transitional justice in North Korea, even though the current conditions do not satisfy the necessary requirements. Furthermore, the probability and mode of North Korea's transitional justice will unavoidably depend on its “transition to democracy” based on its civil society and dichotomous social differentiation in the late-communist stage. Therefore, this paper contradistinguishes the situations in Mongolia and North Korea to determine the likelihood of political change in North Korea and then identify the absent and distorted elements for any related transitional justice.