TOKYO, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The new leaders in North Korea need to address serious concerns raised by U.N. officials regarding the human rights record there, an expert said.
Kim Jong Un was declared leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in December after his father, 69-year-old Kim Jong Il, died from "mental and physical overwork," likely a heart attack.
Marzuki Darusman, the U.N. special envoy for human rights in North Korea, said the change in leadership was a cause for hope. He provided up update to reporters following a fact-finding mission to the region where he spoke in Japan with North Korean defectors and members of civil society.
He said the international community would welcome renewed engagement efforts by the North Korean government.
"I am hoping that the new leadership in the DPRK will see succession as an opportunity to engage with the international community and secure global confidence," he said in a statement.
"The world is eagerly looking at the DPRK to see what lies ahead, and is hoping that the authorities will take measures to improve the human rights situation of the people in the country."
He called on North Korean leaders to view the new government in Myanmar as a model for engagement. Myanmar since 2010 elections has released hundreds of political prisoners and allowed opposition leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi to take part in the political process.
