Elizabeth Salmón, the new United Nations special rapporteur for North Korea’s human rights, has pledged to approach the issue with the victims at the center.
Salmón made the statement during a meeting with rights groups in Seoul on the first day of her week-long visit to South Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
The new rapporteur said her report to the UN General Assembly in September will include her discussions with various activist groups and promised to stay in contact with the families of the regime’s victims.
Salmón also expressed intent to uphold the outcome of investigations conducted by her three predecessors and to continue research moving forward.
The eleven groups urged the rapporteur to demand that Pyongyang confirm the whereabouts of two North Korean sailors who were deported by Seoul in 2019 at the UN General Assembly and again in March when the UN Human Rights Council convenes.
They also requested that Salmón investigate the truth behind the case of a South Korean fisheries official shot dead by the North’s military in 2020 and hold accountable those involved.
Salmón assumed her mandate as special rapporteur on August 1. Her first visit of the Korean peninsula runs through Saturday, during which she will meet with various members of society and government relevant to North Korea’s human rights.
Source: KBS World Radio