[USFK Forums] US envoy, Annan discuss human rights in North Korea [AFP]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Saturday, April 1, 2006

US envoy, Annan discuss human rights in North Korea

Saturday, April 1, 2006 43 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The US special envoy on Norrh Korea's human rights called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to use his moral authority to promote human rights in the Stalinist country.

"We spoke about the importance of raising international consciousness on the issue of human rights in North Korea and the terrible deprivation of human rights by that regime," Jay Lefkowitz told reporters after the brief meeting.

He pointed to the "moral authority of the United Nations and the secretary general can add to the struggle for human rights in North Korea."

He welcomed Tokyo's decision to appoint its own special envoy to deal with human rights in North Korea and voiced hope that "some of our other friends and allies will do the same."

The US envoy also said he raised the case of Kim Chun-Hee, a North Korean woman in her 30s who was arrested in China where she had sought refuge and then deported back to North Korea.

China does not recognise North Koreans who flee their country as refugees and normally sends them back to their country, where some are believed to have been executed.

Lefkowitz said he and Annan discussed the need to press Beijing "to honor its international obligations and to afford the (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees full and fair access to refugees in northeastern China as they are required to do under their international obligations."

The US envoy also touched on Japan's repeated demands, backed by Washington, that Pyongyang return surviving Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, mostly during the 1970s.

He voiced hope that Pyongyang "will be responsive to the cries of the international community and address this issue directly with the Japanese."

North Korea admitted in 2002 that its agents kidnapped the civilians to train the regime's spies in Japanese language and culture.

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