[Exclusive] North Korea Human Rights Report to Be Published in Six Official UN Languages

Yoon "North Korean Human Rights Atrocities Must Be Widely Known to the International Community"
'North Korean Human Rights Report Leaflet' Translated into UN Official Languages
Taeyongho "Special Reports by Sector Also Need Translation"

The government will produce the 'North Korean Human Rights Report,' first publicly released in March this year, in the official languages of the United Nations. This move is interpreted as an effort to increase its external utilization following President Yoon Seok-yeol's directive to "widely inform the international community about the realities of North Korean human rights."

According to data submitted by Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, from the Ministry of Unification on the 5th, the Ministry is promoting the translation of the North Korean Human Rights Report leaflet into the UN official languages. The UN official languages are six languages: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic. The government publicly released the North Korean Human Rights Report for the first time in March this year, seven years after the enactment of the North Korean Human Rights Act, and released an English version in July.

North Korea Human Rights Report
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Yoon Seok-yeol administration is focusing on 'promoting North Korean human rights' as a core pillar of its North Korea policy. After receiving a briefing from the Ministry of Unification in January this year, President Yoon emphasized, "It is important for people around the world to know and share the realities of North Korean human rights," adding, "North Korean residents also need to know the facts accurately." In April, during a speech to the U.S. Congress, he stressed, "We must widely inform the international community about the atrocities of North Korean human rights."

Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho also stated at the Korea Global Forum (KGF) in August, "The Republic of Korea government will be the largest speaker to disseminate the realities of North Korean human rights." In fact, the Ministry of Unification increased the budget for publishing the North Korean Human Rights Report from 44 million won this year to 214 million won next year, a fourfold increase. This reflects the intention not only to publish the report but also to lead the discourse on North Korean human rights by utilizing it in international seminar presentations and more.

The work of translating the leaflet into the UN official languages is evaluated as part of these efforts. Its utilization on the international stage, including the UN, is expected to increase. A Ministry of Unification official explained, "We intend to translate the leaflet into the UN official languages to inform the international community about the realities of North Korean human rights," adding, "Whether to publish additional translated versions beyond the full English report will be reviewed based on demand and other factors."

Assemblyman Tae Young-ho said, "I welcome the fact that the leaflet to promote the North Korean Human Rights Report to the international community will be translated into the UN official languages." He continued, "To properly inform the realities of North Korean human rights, it is necessary to publish special reports by field and target separately from the comprehensive report, and these should also be translated into the UN official languages as leaflets," urging, "The National Assembly will also make efforts to increase the budget."

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