Three months ago, a United Nations commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea produced a 372-page document systematically detailing a litany of horrific charges, and recommending the U.N. refer the case to the International Criminal Court.

Even the optimists don't think that will happen -- China, an ally of North Korea, holds a Security Council veto that would more or less stop such an effort in its tracks. China didn't cooperate with the commission of inquiry, and pointedly urged the commission to "not...