On September 2,
Unification Minister Kwon Youngse met Elizabeth Salmon, the UN
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Situations in North Korea, and
expressed the will for progressive cooperation to protect the human
rights of North Koreans.
Minister Kwon explained that the
Government had been endeavoring for humanitarian engagement to
improve the poor conditions of North Koreans as well as to identify
those responsible for the infringement of human rights of North
Koreans to protect their human rights and enhance humanitarian
conditions in North Korea.
Furthermore, Minister Kwon
emphasized that the Government would take the lead in the discussion
on the human rights of North Koreans in the UN and push ahead with
progressive policies dealing with human rights in North Korea,
including the establishment of the North Korea Human Rights
Foundation as the platform to promote cooperative policies for human
rights in North Korea and to disclose the ‘North Korea Human Rights
Report (tentative name)’.
UN Special Rapporteur Salmon
expressed interest in the Government’s will to improve human rights
and the humanitarian situation in North Korea as well as its support
for the settlement of North Korean defectors in South Korea. In
addition, UN Special Rapporteur Salmon desired to continue
cooperation with the Government based on common goals with joint
responsibilities for protecting the human rights of North Koreans
because human rights are a critical prerequisite for sustainable
peace.
