The U.N. special rapporteur on North Korean human rights says he is to look into the situation for North Korean defectors' groups in the South as they fall under increased scrutiny. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI |
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July 22 (UPI) -- The United Nations' top official on North Korea human rights said he plans to request information from Seoul following a recent South Korean government decision to cancel the operation permits of two defector-led groups that have launched anti-Pyongyang leaflets.
U.N. Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights Tomás Ojea Quintana said he intends to request from the South Korean unification ministry more information on planned inspections of North Korean human rights groups, Radio Free Asia's Korean service reported Tuesday.
"I will request, the U.N. will be requesting, information from the [South Korean] government. And we'll follow up on this issue," Quintana said, according to the report.
Last week Seoul said it selected 25 non-governmental organizations for routine "inspections." North Korean dissidents head about half of the groups.
In his interview with RFA, Quintana said he is in the midst of obtaining more details on the situation for activists in South Korea. The U.N. rapporteur said he does not welcome the recent government measures, taken after North Korean official Kim Yo Jong denounced activists in the South.
Quintana said international investigations into North Korea human rights abuses depend on information from defectors for clues into conditions in the North, which has denied Quintana access.
The U.N. official said he has met with countless defectors during his trips to the South and listened to their experiences with serious rights violations in North Korea.
Quintana said the U.N. can officially raise concerns with Seoul and call on the government for a "balanced management" of regulations and control of civil society organizations.
More North Korean defectors are voicing their opposition to government plans of inspections, comparing the move to a "blacklist" that outlaws different voices, News 1 reported Wednesday.
A total of 25 groups, including Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, Transitional Justice Working Group and North Korean Democratization Network, called for an end to the "political activities" of the unification ministry.
"This is discrimination and oppression. It's like keeping a blacklist," the group said in statement.
