The Korea Herald

피터빈트

NK human right violations must be 'fully exposed': Yoon

By Shin Ji-hye

Published : March 28, 2023 - 11:48

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President Yoon Suk Yeol (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk Yeol (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that his administration will "fully expose" North Korea's human rights violations to the international community in its first human rights report on the reclusive regime to be released soon.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Yoon said, “The reality of North Korean people's gruesome human rights violations must be fully exposed to the international community.”

He did not elaborate on when the report will be published.

Yoon stressed the importance of “practical implementation” of the North Korean Human Rights Act, which was enacted in 2016.

The act includes humanitarian aid to North Korea, the establishment of a North Korean Human Rights advisory committee at the Ministry of Unification, and funding to improve human rights in North Korea.

But it remains inactive as the launch of the foundation for North Korean human rights has been delayed. The foundation would be responsible for conducting research on policy development related to the promotion of human rights in North Korea, such as fact-finding investigations, inter-Korean human rights dialogue and humanitarian aid.

The foundation has been unable to launch as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has dragged its feet on recommending candidates for the foundation's board, over fears that it could provoke the North Korean regime.