On April 24, the Unification Ministry held an open forum on human rights issues in North Korea under the theme of “The Significance of Recording the Status of Human Rights in North Korea and the Role of the Government, Private Sector, and International Community in Enhancing Awareness of North Korean Human Rights.”

Unification Minister Kwon Youngse highlighted in his opening remarks that “recording and accurately revealing the reality of human rights issues in North Korea is the first step in improving them.”

“Recording human rights status in North Korea provides a basic means of finding practical solutions for improving North Korean human rights and guiding North Korea to correct its anti-human rights behavior,” he added.

Moreover, the minister said, “Above all, it will be a source of comfort and hope for North Korean people who suffer from human rights violations that the Republic of Korea is with them and serve as a stern warning to those who commit human rights violations to reflect on their wrongdoings.”

Minister Kwon ended his remarks by saying, “Furthermore, this record and data can serve as a basis for establishing universal values and justice for all humanity by identifying responsibility for future human rights violations in North Korea.”

The Ministry of Unification will continue to exert every effort into actively investigating and publicizing more cases and preserving them for the future.