UN rights specialist in Seoul to explore N. Korea opening

by WorldTribune Staff, June 28, 2018

The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights will travel to South Korea next week in an effort to engage in talks on human rights in the North.

Tomas Ojea Quintana. / UN photo

Tomas Ojea Quintana, who will begin an eight-day visit on July 2, also called for the issue of human rights in North Korea to be addressed at the U.S.-North Korea talks on denuclearizarion.

Related: N. Korea ‘faithfully implementing’ summit agreement, demands South scrap human rights act, June 24, 2018

“This visit is particularly important because of the opportunity it affords to underscore the importance of human rights to be part of the ongoing dialogue on denuclearization,” Ojea Quintana said.

“Bringing human rights to the table is not a hindrance but a way to ensure that talks are real and sustainable,” he said.

The UN said the planned visit will be Ojea Quintana’s “first official mission to Seoul since the easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”

Ojea Quintana’s visit comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met with South Korean President Moon Jae-In in April and May, and U.S. President Donald Trump on June 12.

During the trip, Ojea Quintana is also expected to meet with the Korean Red Cross, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, and with “people who have recently left the DPRK,” the UN said.

Ojea Quintana will hold a press conference in Seoul on July 10, the last day of his visit to South Korea.

Ojea Quintana, who has visited South Korea three times since he was designated as the special rapporteur in March 2016, will report his findings and recommendations to the UN General Assembly in October.


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