The United States government emphasized its role in amplifying the voices of North Korean defectors, strongly criticizing North Korea’s human rights issues in line with North Korea Freedom Week (7th to 13th).
The U.S. State Department stated in a spokesperson’s statement, “The United States recognizes the tenacity and courage of North Korean escapees and human rights advocates, as well as the continued suffering of millions of North Koreans at the hands of the DPRK government.”
The State Department noted, “Ruthless crackdowns on foreign media and continuing rise in the number of public executions, including of youth, have heightened an environment of fear and repression. We remain committed to highlighting the egregious human rights violations and abuses happening in the DPRK and to working with allies and partners to promote human rights, accountability, and access to information.”
“The United States continues to call on all countries to uphold non-refoulement obligations and to protect North Korean asylum seekers,” they added.
The State Department announced that Julie Turner, the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, will visit South Korea from the 10th to the 13th. Turner is expected to attend the Seoul North Korean Human Rights Forum on the 11th, ahead of North Korean Defector’s Day (14th), and will meet with government and civil society organizations, industry representatives, etc., to discuss issues such as North Korea’s forced labor.
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