A Japanese court has held North Korea responsible for human rights violations against four plaintiffs lured to the country by false promises of a "paradise on Earth."

Eiko Kawasaki was among some 93,000 ethnic Korean residents of Japan who, along with their family members, went to North Korea decades ago under a resettlement program that promised them a “Paradise on Earth” – a place where they could live happily without being discriminated against as Koreans.

A Japanese judge has summoned North Korea’s leader to face demands for compensation by several ethnic Korean residents of Japan who say they suffered human rights abuses in North Korea after joining a resettlement program there.