South Korea on Tuesday held an interagency meeting to discuss North Korea‘s dismal human rights situation for the first time since the Moon Jae-in administration took office in May, government officials said.

Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung hosted the meeting to consult with director-generals from other ministries over the country’s policy on North Korea‘s rights records, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.

“Given the government‘s North Korea policy and Pyongyang’s abject rights situation, there is the need to come up with ways to improve the North‘s records for the remainder of this year in accordance with relevant law,” Chun said at the start of the meeting.
 

A law aimed at enhancing North Korea’s human rights situation went into effect in September last year. A consultative channel among ministries was set up in October 2016 in a related move.

Under the law, the government launched an agency to investigate and collect data on Pyongyang‘s rights situation.

But the government has yet to launch a foundation to support relevant civic groups’ activities and do research on Pyongyang‘s human rights record due to a delay of the parliamentary process to recommend candidates for board members.

North Korea has long been labeled one of the worst human rights violators in the world. The North does not tolerate dissent, holds hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information. (Yonhap)