U.N. urges North Korea to confirm fate of forcibly disappeared people

28/3/2023 11:59

        The United Nations Human Rights office in Seoul called on North Korea on Tuesday to confirm the fate and whereabouts of people who have been disappeared under its regime, accusing Pyongyang of violating the rights of the victims and their loved ones for decades.
        
        In a report on enforced disappearance and abductions by North Korea, the U.N. rights office said North Korea should acknowledge that it has engaged in a state policy of enforced disappearances since 1950, and take immediate steps to end such violations.
        
        The report, based on interviews with defectors, former abductees and relatives of victims, details accounts of disappearances, including arbitrary detentions in North Korea and abduction of nationals from South Korea, Japan and other countries.
        
        "Enforced disappearance is a profound violation of many rights at once, and responsibility lies with the state," U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said.
        
        Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected accusations of rights abuses and criticised U.N. investigations on its situation as a U.S.-backed scheme to interfere with its internal affairs.