S. Korea ready to become most vocal 'speaker' over N. Korea's human rights: minister

2024-06-23 11:07:55      点击：547

Vice Unification Minister Moon Seoung-hyun reads a keynote speech of Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho at the annual Korea Global Forum in Seoul, Aug. 30. Yonhap

South Korea's unification minister said Wednesday the government is willing to play the role of the most vocal "speaker" in efforts to make the international community aware of North Korea's dismal human rights situations.

At the annual Korea Global Forum hosted by Seoul's unification ministry, Minister Kim Yung-ho stressed the need to make perpetrators accountable for North Koreas' human rights violations.

"In the process, the South Korean government is ready to become the largest speaker and hub in efforts to raise awareness of the North's human rights situations," Kim said in a keynote speech read by the country's vice unification minister.

Kim said the unification ministry will issue reports on North Korea's economic and social situations and closely cooperate with the United Nations on a mission to help resolve Pyongyang's human rights abuse.

In regard to the North's provocations, the minister warned North Korea will pay the price for its "wrong choice," as South Korea, the United States and Japan are willing to immediately counter Pyongyang's provocations based on their stronger security cooperation.

"The North's 'wrong choice' will be immediately and sternly restrained by trilateral security cooperation of Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, and North Korea will face tighter and stronger sanctions," he said.

He added the international community will closely cooperate to track and block North Korea's illegal earnings of foreign currency, such as cyber crimes, arms transactions and the dispatch of its laborers abroad.

The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a trilateral summit at Camp David earlier this month and agreed to closely cooperate to counter the North's nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)