The U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights will visit South Korea and Japan this month to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of a landmark U.N. report on the North’s rights violations, the State Department said Friday.
Ambassador Julie Turner’s two-nation trip from Monday through Feb. 22, comes as activists and government officials in Seoul and Washington have paid renewed attention to the 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) report that accused North Korean officials of “systematic, widespread and gross” human rights violations.
In both countries, Turner plans to meet government representatives, civic society activists and North Korean defectors.
“In the ROK, Special Envoy Turner will discuss efforts to promote accountability for those responsible for North Korea’s egregious human rights violations and how best to advance the welfare of the North Korean people,” the department said in a press release. ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
“She will also participate in events commemorating the landmark U.N. COI report, engage with aspiring foreign policy leaders, and visit entities providing support and education to recently arrived North Korean escapees,” it added.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/02/103_368574.html