The new U.N. human rights envoy on North Korea met with Seoul's foreign minister Tuesday during a trip to gather material for a report on the communist nation's human rights conditions.
Marzuki Darusman, who previously served as Indonesia's attorney-general, chairman of its national human rights commission and as a legislator, arrived here Monday for a five-day trip that also includes meetings with Unification Minister Hyun In-taek and officials from non-governmental organizations. He is also scheduled to visit Hanawon, a resettlement center
for North Korean defectors, and hold a press conference here on Friday.
Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan congratulated Darusman on his appointment as the new U.N. special rapporteur on the North's human rights, a post he took over from Vitit Muntarbhorn in June.
"The purpose of the visit is to prepare for the report on the situation of human rights in North Korea, which could hopefully be presented sometime in March next year," Darusman told the foreign minister, referring to a report that will be submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
North Korea has long been accused of human rights abuses, ranging from holding hundreds of thousands of political prisoners to torture and public executions.
Pyongyang denies the claims, calling them a U.S.-led attempt to overthrow the regime, and refuses to recognize the U.N. post. The former envoy, Muntarbhorn, was unable to visit the North during his six years on the job as Pyongyang refused to receive him.