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South Korean President Moon Jae-in has won the success of his three-day summit in North Korea last week, where he has reached agreements with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on various Korean projects and revitalized the negotiations. on denuclearization. However, as the president speaks openly of a new era of peace and prosperity, human rights violations in the North have been absent from the discussions.
A 2014 report by the UN Human Rights Commission's Investigative Commission found that "systematic, widespread and egregious violations of human rights" in North Korea were often crimes against humanity. humanity.
"The gravity, magnitude and nature of these violations reveal a state that has no parallel in the contemporary world," adds North Korea, which seeks to dominate all aspects of the lives of its citizens and to terrorize them from the inside. . "
In a statement, the South Korean presidential office said that President Moon would convey the results of the Third Inter-Korean Congress to the 73rd UN General Assembly and planned to work closely with the international community to develop a new vision of peace and prosperity. . the Korean peninsula.
Moon's office added that South Korea is ready to assume "key roles on the major issues of the international society such as peace and security, human rights, development and humanitarian aid and climate change. ; we would like to strengthen cooperation with the UN and the world society. "
Human rights are not part of ongoing discussions
But human rights defenders say to VOA that positive measures for peace, reconciliation and reunification of the peninsula are positive, human rights talks are not about 'agenda.
Despite agreements reached between South and North in the April Panmunjom and September Pyongyang statements, the executive director of the North Korea Human Rights Committee, Greg Scarlatoiu, said that the country's human rights policies man from Seoul
"There is absolutely no mention of human rights violations in North Korea," Scarlatoiu said.
Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division for Human Rights Watch, noted an exception: "the important humanitarian reunification between separated families".
The Ministry of Unification of South Korea administers the North Korean Human Rights Council and "works closely with other agencies". The ministry said it will "establish the basic plan for the promotion of human rights in North Korea and its implementation plan. relevant policies systematically. "
In an email to VOA, the Unification Ministry writes: "The Government emphasizes human rights in the notion of universal value and ethnicity and strives to continually improve the quality of human rights. life of North Koreans.
"The [Pyongyang] The September Joint Declaration contains many agreements on inter-Korean trade and easing of military tensions. If the agreements are well executed, it will not only help to improve inter-Korean relations and peace settlement on the Korean peninsula, but also to improve the human rights of the North Korean people, "the statement said. message.
Pressure required
But human rights defenders say much more needs to be done and suggest that increased international pressure is needed to ensure that in future discussions with North Korea, human rights issues man will be discussed.
Robertson said that during negotiations with North Korea, "there must be a broader context".
When you talk about "long-term prosperity and peace … the problem of reunifying North Korea and North Korea and the right of Korean reunification is essential," but with a history of serious human rights violations in the country. peninsula, do not stay on the table.
Scarlatoiu added that avoiding such topics early in the negotiations makes it difficult to evoke them later.
"I do not know how President Moon is going to settle in a position where he raises human rights concerns, after delivering all those speeches by congratulating the leader of North Korea for its achievements, "he said.
Although the Ministry of Unification can not identify specific items on the agenda for future inter-Korean negotiations, he said: [Panmunjom] Declaration, the government (as well as the North) agreed to strive to solve the humanitarian problems resulting from the division. "
The Ministry of Unification said the government would "find practical measures to strengthen the human rights of North Koreans", although the ministry has not given any details on how it intends to achieve this goal. .
Robertson claims that the South Korean government has not made progress in addressing human rights issues in North Korea.
"The North Korean law on human rights was passed by the South Korean Parliament two years ago," Robertson said. "Two years later, we have not really made progress in implementing the key aspects of this law.
"The ultimate measure of reconciliation, peace and unification of the Korean peninsula will be the impact it will have on the Korean people living in the south and north," Scarlatiou said. adding that these goals should not sacrifice attention to humans. rights.
Lee Jy-hyun contributed to this report.
