Salmon, UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, "Positive Response to South Korean Government's Proposal for Inter-Korean Family Reunions Official Talks"

Reunion of Separated Families Achieved, Both North and South Must Prioritize
Encouraging Prospects for South Korea's Proposal for Talks

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Elizabeth Salmon, the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, recently gave a positive assessment of the South Korean government's proposal for inter-Korean talks regarding separated families.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 21st, Salmon was asked to comment on South Korea's proposal for inter-Korean talks to resolve the separated families issue. She stated, "Facilitating reunions of separated families should be a priority for both North and South Korea, regardless of political issues."

She described South Korea's initiative to seize the opportunity for talks as "encouraging," adding, "This serves as an example of 'engagement' that all actors, including the international community, should pursue."

RFA reported that during her recent visit to South Korea from the 27th of last month to the 3rd of this month, Salmon was informed about the suffering of separated families.

On the 8th, just before the Chuseok holiday, Kwon Young-se, Minister of Unification, officially proposed inter-Korean talks to North Korea aimed at fundamentally resolving the separated families issue, stating, "One-time reunions involving a small number of people, as in the past, are insufficient. We must promptly prepare fundamental measures using all possible methods available immediately."

North Korea has shown no response, even refusing to accept the South's notification containing this proposal.

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