Salmon, UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, "Efforts Needed to Assess and Protect the Human Rights of North Korean Women"

Urging Improvement of North Korean Human Rights Through Keynote Speech at the Korean Peninsula International Peace Forum
Need to Increase Visibility of North Korean Human Rights Situation

[Asia Economy Reporter Inho Yoo] Elizabeth Salmon, the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, stated on the 1st, "We must identify the realities of the human rights violations against young girls and women in North Korea and strive to ensure they receive justice and protection."

At the '2022 Korea Global Peace Forum (KGFP)' on its final day, Salmon delivered a keynote speech during a session titled "Improving Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) through a Dual Approach of Accountability and Cooperation," saying, "One of the important things is to secure victim testimonies well."

She added, "We still do not know the full extent of the severity of human rights abuses in North Korea," but emphasized, "What is important is to seek dialogue centered on the victims, discuss compensation for the victims, and realize justice for them."

She also highlighted the importance of "transitional justice," which refers not only to holding perpetrators accountable but also to processes including truth, justice, reparations, guarantees of non-recurrence, and reconciliation, encompassing compensation and recovery support for victims and their families.

During the subsequent Q&A session, she said, "During my visit to South Korea, I had the opportunity to visit the Hanawon Resettlement Support Center for North Korean Defectors and speak with young women and defectors," adding, "We need to change existing practices to promote more dialogue while simultaneously keeping accountability in mind."

She further stated, "In the coming months, what we can do is raise awareness about the human rights situation in North Korea," emphasizing, "We must first raise our voices and stress how serious the human rights situation in North Korea is."

She stressed the need to increase visibility of the North Korean human rights situation, saying, "The current situation in North Korea is very bad, so it seems unlikely that North Korea will speak out."

Salmon, who officially began her term on the 1st of last month, visited South Korea for the first time on the 27th and started her official schedule from the 29th.

Her itinerary included meetings with North Korean human rights organizations on the first day, a visit to Hanawon, and meetings with Foreign Minister Park Jin and Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon. On the 2nd, she is scheduled to meet with Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, and on the 3rd, she plans to meet with the family of Lee Dae-jun, a public official who was killed by North Korean military gunfire.

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