On April 24, the Unification Ministry held an open forum on human
rights issues in North Korea under the theme of “The Significance of
Recording the Status of Human Rights in North Korea and the Role of
the Government, Private Sector, and International Community in
Enhancing Awareness of North Korean Human Rights.”
Unification Minister Kwon Youngse highlighted in his opening remarks
that “recording and accurately revealing the reality of human rights
issues in North Korea is the first step in improving them.”
“Recording human rights status in North Korea provides a basic means
of finding practical solutions for improving North Korean human rights
and guiding North Korea to correct its anti-human rights behavior,” he added.
Moreover, the minister said, “Above all, it will be a source of
comfort and hope for North Korean people who suffer from human rights
violations that the Republic of Korea is with them and serve as a
stern warning to those who commit human rights violations to reflect
on their wrongdoings.”
Minister Kwon ended his remarks by saying, “Furthermore, this record
and data can serve as a basis for establishing universal values and
justice for all humanity by identifying responsibility for future
human rights violations in North Korea.”
The Ministry of Unification will continue to exert every effort into
actively investigating and publicizing more cases and preserving them
for the future.
