▲ This photo, provided by the Ministry of Unification on July 10, 2024, shows Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

unification minister-US visit

Unification minister to visit U.S. next week

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho will visit the United States next week for talks with U.S. government officials and experts on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and North Korea's human rights situation, his office said Wednesday.

Kim will visit Washington, D.C., from Sunday through July 26, marking the first trip to the U.S. by a South Korean point man on North Korea in about five years, according to the unification ministry.

During the visit, he will meet with officials from the U.S. government and Congress, as well as experts on inter-Korean affairs, and discuss pending issues related to unification and North Korea, according to the unification ministry.

In particular, Kim will deliver a keynote speech Monday at an international forum on North Korea's human rights situation.

The 2024 International Dialogue on North Korean Human Rights will be held Monday and Tuesday, co-hosted by the ministry, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

It marks the first time that the ministry has hosted such a forum abroad.

"The event will serve as an occasion to raise the international community's awareness about the importance of North Korea's human rights issues," the ministry said.

The minister will also meet with experts from major think tanks in Washington, D.C., such as the Center for a New American Security and The Heritage Foundation, to discuss key issues related to the peninsula.

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