The UN Commission of Inquiry was set up last March to begin building a case for possible criminal prosecution and is due to report its findings later today.
The panel is investigating allegations surrounding North Korea's gulags with evidence and testimony from exiles, including camp survivors, in Seoul, Tokyo, London and Washington.
UN panel finds evidence of crimes against humanity in North Korea
Amnesty International says the UN report includes testimonies of rape, murder and torture gathered by Amnesty.
Former prisoner Jihyum Park said starvation was rife in the camps.
"People got so hungry they would eat anything – from dog food and cattle feed and beans left on the ground," she said.
"I've heard that people would eat bean and maize kernels stuck in animal dung."
Amnesty's East Asia spokeswoman Roseanne Rife says the report could be a landmark document.
"And this (report) brings it to the attention to a much wider audience, but it also gives a chance really for the other governments and for the United Nations to put the added pressure on North Korea," said Ms Rife.
"And that's why it's so important right now, this may be the best chance we have, to get the North Korean government to take action to improve the human rights situation. So it is critical that the United Nations make the best use of this report."
