U.N. human rights chief meets South Korean groups on North Korea abuses

May 12 (Asia Today) -- Volker Türk met Monday with South Korean civic groups focused on North Korean human rights, wartime abductions and inter-Korean cooperation during his first official visit to South Korea.

The visit marks the first trip by a U.N. human rights chief to South Korea since former High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein visited in 2015.

According to multiple civic organizations, the meeting was arranged at the request of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Participants included representatives from organizations focused on North Korean human rights documentation, abductee families, detainees and inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation.

Related

• North Korea: time for a major policy reset
• Why North Korean escapees are denied recognition as 'real victims'
• Rep. Young Kim vows push to renew North Korea Human Rights Act

Discussions covered issues including accountability for North Korean human rights abuses, forced disappearances, conditions inside North Korean detention facilities, prisoners of war, detainees held in North Korea and prospects for humanitarian exchange and peace initiatives.

Lee Sung-eui, chairman of the Korean War Abductees Family Union, said the largest case of forced disappearances linked to North Korea involved civilians abducted during the 1950-53 Korean War.

"The most important thing for victims' families is the restoration of their families," Lee said.

He urged Türk to support efforts allowing elderly family members to visit North Korea for ancestral memorial rites and to promote projects aimed at recovering the remains of abductees.

Lee also called for consideration of a special tribunal or a separate U.N. mechanism to investigate North Korea's responsibility for civilian abductions.

In an open letter delivered separately to Türk, the group urged the South Korean government to formally acknowledge responsibility toward wartime abductee victims and establish compensation and support measures.

The organization also requested that abductee issues be treated as a top agenda item in any future inter-Korean negotiations.

Database Center for North Korean Human Rights raised concerns over how the international community can continue documenting ongoing abuses as the number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea declines sharply.

The group also discussed the limitations of domestic civil and criminal legal actions targeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other officials over alleged human rights violations.

Türk is scheduled to meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday to discuss cooperation between the South Korean government and the U.N. human rights office.

He is also expected to hold a press conference, visit the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju on Wednesday and deliver remarks at the World Human Rights Cities Forum before departing for Japan on Thursday.

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260512010003069