U.N. rapporteur urges collective efforts to gather information on N. Korea amid 'ever-stricter isolation'

▲ Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, speaks during an international academic conference, hosted by the Soongsil Institute for Peace and Unification think tank, in Seoul on Sept. 6, 2023. (Yonhap)

UN rapporteur-NK rights

U.N. rapporteur urges collective efforts to gather information on N. Korea amid 'ever-stricter isolation'

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- The U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights on Wednesday called for the need to "multiply" sources of reliable information on the reclusive country as the regime dives into an "ever-stricter isolation" from the outside world.

During an international conference hosted by the Soongsil Institute for Peace and Unification think tank in Seoul, Elizabeth Salmon also said the scarcity of reliable information flowing from North Korea can be "compensated by the news that we can still gather from one another."

"We are facing a dire situation which worsens as the government strengthens its barriers against the international community and/or multilateral organizations dealing with development, human rights, peace or security issues," Salmon said.

Noting the North Korean regime's "ever-stricter isolation," she stressed that one of the most urgent tasks is to "multiply as far as possible sources of information of what is really happening in the country" with cooperation among countries, official entities and civil society.

She also touched on the North's chronic food shortage issue, claiming those who receive food rations there were generally state officials or those affiliated with the military.

"This disparity between the privileged and nonprivileged segments of society -- those who are considered loyal and part of the league, and those who are not -- poses a direct challenge to North Korea's commitment to ensuring access to food for all," she said.

Salmon arrived in Seoul on Monday for a nine-day visit to meet with Seoul officials and North Korean defectors. It is her third trip to South Korea since assuming the post in July last year.

The special rapporteur position was first created in 2004 to investigate and report to the U.N. Human Rights Council and General Assembly on the human rights situation in the reclusive regime.

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