South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday said it plans to set up an archives to compile North Korea's human rights abuses and a bureau to handle the implementation of a new law aimed at improving Pyongyang's rights record.

It said that the Cabinet approved an enforcement ordinance over the ministry's overhaul as North Korea's human rights law went into effect on Sept. 4.

In accordance with the law, South Korea plans to establish an archives aimed at collecting cases on the North's abuses and set up a foundation to support relevant civic groups by end-September.

"The envisioned creation of the archives is meaningful as the government will probe and compile the North's rights violations, the jobs that the private sector has previously done," the ministry said.

It said that it will set up a new bureau tasked with faithfully implementing the law by putting four divisions under its wing.

Along with a new office on North Korean human rights, three existing divisions handling issues of separated families, resettlement support and humanitarian assistance will be placed under the bureau, it added.

The move is aimed at better handling Koreans' suffering and wounds stemming from the inter-Korean division, said the ministry that is in charge of the two Koreas' affairs.

South Korea said it will allocate 15.2 billion won ($13.6 million) of its 2017 budget to implement the North Korean human rights law.

North Korea has long been labeled one of the worst human rights violators in the world. Pyongyang has bristled at such criticism, calling it a US-led attempt to topple its regime. (Yonhap)