The top diplomats of South Korea and the U.S. discussed the dire human rights situation in North Korea, Washington’s military operation against Sunni militants in Syria and other bilateral, regional and global issues in New York, officials said Tuesday.

Yun Byung-se and John Kerry met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly immediately before an unprecedented ministerial gathering hosted by the top U.S. diplomat on Pyongyang’s human rights violations. Among other participants were Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and the new U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein.

Yun arrived in New York on Monday accompanying President Park Geun-hye, who earlier visited Canada for a summit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. She is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.

North Korea’s human rights problem was expected to have been a key topic for Yun’s discussions with Kerry. Kerry has spoken out about Pyongyang’s human rights record, calling for an immediate shutdown of all North Korean gulags in his Asia policy speech last month.

Other topics are expected to include the international standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear program and the U.S.-led fight against the jihadist group Islamic State. Washington is rallying support for an international coalition against the group.

North Korea’s human rights record has drawn greater international attention since the U.N. Commission of Inquiry issued a report in February. It determined that North Korean leaders are responsible for “widespread, systematic and gross” violations of human rights and should be brought before the International Criminal Court for their “crimes against humanity.”

The communist country had requested to join the ministerial consultation to present its position on the issue, its Ambassador to the U.N. Ja Song-nam said Monday.

“I believe there is no reason for the U.S. to oppose our participation if it is truly willing to resolve the problem through dialogue,” he told reporters in New York.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong also touched down in the city on Sunday and is expected to give his own speech at the U.N. conference later this week.

But the diplomat brushed aside the possibility of separate talks with Yun, saying it is “better for the people of the same origin to meet in their own homeland.”

(From news reports)