Unification Ministry holds the 2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights (October 28–29, Geneva)

"It is time for the international community to raise its voice and take action against North Korea's human rights abuses"

Unification Ministry holds the 2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights (October 28-29, Geneva)

From October 28 to 29, the Ministry of Unification held the 2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights in Geneva.

The event was organized in a bid to spread awareness regarding the human rights situation in North Korea and bolster international solidarity for the improvements of North Korean human rights ahead of a peer review of North Korea's fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in five years.

The event kicked off with congratulatory video remarks by Minister of Unification Kim Yung Ho, followed by congratulatory speeches by Deputy Permanent Representative Yoon Seongmee from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea in Geneva, and U.S. Deputy Representative to the UN Human Rights Council Kelly Billingsley.

In his remarks, Minister Kim said that recently, North Korea has sent its soldiers into a 'war without just cause,' pushing young soldiers into danger and threatening both their lives and futures in a manner that is anti-peace and anti-human rights. He further emphasized that "it is time for the international community to raise its voice and take action against North Korea's human rights abuses."

Moreover, the minister said, "Restoring the freedom and dignity of the North Korean people requires the participation and cooperation of even more countries, NGOs, and expert groups."

The event featured two sessions: "Prospects for the UN UPR of North Korea" and "Dialogue with Former Diplomats from South and North Korea." Incumbent and former diplomats from South and North Korea, including Lee Ilgyu, former Counselor of Political Affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba, Ko Younghwan, President of the National Institute for Unification Education (former First Secretary at the North Korean Embassy in Congo), and Yoon Sangwook, Human Rights Policy Officer at the Ministry of Unification (former Human Rights Counsellor from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea in Geneva), joined as panelists to share their experiences and insights on North Korean authorities' diplomatic policies on human rights and the international community's response to North Korean human rights issues.

On October 29, the second day of the event, about 10 domestic and international civic groups dedicated to improving North Korean human rights, North Korean defectors living in Europe, and families of abductees, detainees, and prisoners of war took part in the dialogue. They held discussions on the "Focus of North Korea's UPR," "Beyond UPR," "Addressing Family Reunion: Voices of the Survivors," and called for international support for confirming the fate of the abductees, detainees, and POWs and bringing them back home.

* Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), HanVoice, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), International North Korean Association for Human Rights and Democracy (INKAHRD), Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB), People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE), Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), Tongilmom, etc.