1. The second Republic of Korea-United States Consultation on North Korean Human Rights took place in Seoul on November 14. The ROK and US head delegates to the meeting were Director-General for Korean Peninsula Peace Regime Kim Yong-hyon of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King of the Department of State.

2. The two sides discussed in depth a wide range of ways to promote human rights in North Korea. Among the topics discussed are ways to sharing with each other information on the moves of the UN and other multilateral mechanisms as well as civil societies and governments of individual countries to make North Korea’s human rights a topic for international discussions, and ways for the ROK and the US to work together in that regard; to better ensure accountability for North Korea’s human rights violations and to make substantive improvements in the situation; to address the issue of North Korea’s force labor abroad; and to help Koreans gain more access to outside information.

[Making North Korea’s human rights a topic for international discussions]

° The ROK side explained its government’s efforts to make North Korean human rights a topic for international discussions, which started during the visit to the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany by Ambassador-at-large on North Korean Human Rights Lee Jung-hoon in mid October. The two sides shared with each other information on events on North Korea’s human rights to take place on the sidelines of the meeting of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, on November 21 and others in late 2016 and early 2017; and discussed specific ways to generate synergistic effect from them through bilateral cooperation.

[Better ensuring accountability for North Korea’s human rights violations]

° The ROK side explained its efforts to lay legal and institutional foundations for promoting North Korea’s human rights and for better ensuring accountability for the North’s human rights violations, including the establishment of the North Korean Human Rights Archive and the North Korean Human Rights Record Depository, an affiliate of the Ministry of Justice, pursuant to the North Korean Human Rights Act, which had been brought into force on September 4. The US side spoke about its own work in that regard, including the report on North Korean human rights violations and the list of sanctions targets on July 6 issued pursuant to the US’ North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enforcement Act of 2016, as well as its plan to work on the second such report, other future measures and the policy direction. The two sides discussed areas where the two countries need to work together.

[North Korea’s force labor abroad]

° Amid the growing concern and attention in the international community with regard to North Korea’s force labor abroad since Marzuki Darusman issued a report in September 2015, the issue will be covered in the resolution on the situation of human rights in North Korea, which will be adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on November 15, local time. The two sides agreed to continuously take issue with serious human rights violations committed by the North Korean government against its laborers abroad, including extorting wages, limiting the freedom of movement and forcing labor; to take an active part in international efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea; and work closely with each other in this regard.

3. The two sides took advantage of the meeting to mull over the measures they should take in close cooperation and thereby to substantively bolster the foundation of bilateral coordination on North Korean human rights.

° Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues Robert King of the Department of State mentioned that the US Congress will remain attentive to North Korea’s human rights issue even during the term of the incoming US administration and that the new administration is expected to work closely with the ROK on this issue. He also voiced hope that the ROK-US Consultations on North Korean Human Rights will contribute to the institutionalization of bilateral cooperation in the field.


* unofficial translation