Yoon: "We Cannot Tolerate North Korea's Illegal Nuclear Development"

"Threatening Security by Mentioning Preemptive Nuclear Strikes"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 28th, "The international community must continuously send a united message that it will never tolerate North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile development and human rights abuses."

During a meeting in the afternoon with the 'North Korea Human Rights Advisory Group,' composed of experts in North Korean human rights, President Yoon said, "North Korea is threatening the security of the Republic of Korea by launching so-called 'military reconnaissance satellites' and talking about preemptive nuclear strikes."

President Yoon also said, "The forced repatriation of North Korean defectors residing overseas against their will is another serious human rights violation," adding, "The 'Refugee Status Convention' and the 'Convention Against Torture,' which prohibit forced repatriation, must be strictly observed."

He pointed out, "The 2014 United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on North Korean human rights defined the systematic and widespread human rights abuses by the North Korean authorities as 'crimes against humanity' and recommended accountability for the North Korean top leadership. However, even after 10 years, the human rights situation in North Korea has not improved at all."

He continued, "The issue of North Korean human rights is not limited to North Korea alone but concerns humanitarian values that we must collectively uphold. The international community must respond with vigilance and solidarity."

Participants of the North Korea Human Rights Advisory Group said, "We highly appreciate the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's efforts to address North Korean human rights issues that were neglected by the previous government," and added, "We hope the Korean government will continue to play a greater role in widely exposing the horrific human rights abuses in North Korea and holding perpetrators accountable."

The North Korea Human Rights Advisory Group is a consultative body established in June 2016 by former Ambassador Lee Jung-hoon, former North Korea Human Rights International Cooperation Ambassador, to strengthen international cooperation on North Korean human rights issues and propose related policies. Attending the meeting were members of the North Korea Human Rights Advisory Group and Michael Kirby, former chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) on North Korean human rights.

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