Salmon, UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, "Enforced Disappearances Are Heinous International Crimes... Exist in North Korea"

UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights Prefers Forced Disappearance Dictatorships
North Korean Forced Disappearance Crimes Revealed to the World Thanks to Testimonies

[Asia Economy Reporter Inho Yoo] Elizabeth Salmon, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, stated on the 30th, "Enforced disappearance is one of the most heinous international crimes, and we are well aware that such criminal acts exist in North Korea."

Rapporteur Salmon made these remarks in a video congratulatory message sent to the "Youth Activists' North Korean Enforced Disappearance Campaign Briefing," co-hosted by the North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Alliance and the UN Human Rights Office, held in the afternoon at the Seoul UN Human Rights Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Salmon emphasized, "Today is the 'International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances' designated by the UN, and enforced disappearance is a crime currently preferred and perpetrated by many authoritarian regimes worldwide."

Enforced disappearance refers to being arrested, detained, or abducted by state agencies or groups acting on behalf of the state and subsequently going missing. Incidents such as North Korea's 1969 Korean Air (KAL) passenger plane hijacking also fall under 'enforced disappearance.'

The Ministry of Unification estimates that about 100,000 wartime abductees were taken to North Korea during the Korean War, and among 3,835 abductees taken after the armistice agreement, 516 are believed to still be detained in North Korea.

Rapporteur Salmon explained that the crimes of enforced disappearance committed by North Korea have become known to the world thanks to the courageous testimonies of a few voices over many years in various environments and situations.

Salmon, who arrived in Korea on the 27th, began her official schedule the day before with meetings with North Korean human rights organizations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.