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The Sanctions Against Kim Jong-Un Have Nothing To Do With Nukes

These sanctions come after a yearslong look into human rights issues in North Korea.
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For the first time ever, Kim Jong-un just got sanction-slapped by the U.S.

But it's not because his country claims to have nuclear weapons or because it tests lots of ballistic missiles. 

It’s because Kim Jong-un is a tyrant to his own people. 

SEE MORE: "North Korea Reportedly Tried To Launch Another Missile And Failed"

Human rights in North Korea have been under the microscope for years, and a new U.S. government report shows just how bad things really are.

It estimates as many as 120,000 people are trapped in a network of political prison camps in the country. 

And that citizens are tortured, sexually assaulted, starved and executed.

The U.S. holds Kim Jong-un, and nearly a dozen other top officials, responsible for this.

The U.S. has filed similar sanctions against other world leaders: Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

In all of these instances, human rights violations are what prompted the sanctions.

This video includes clips from Korean Central Television and KCNA and images from Getty Images. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.