South Korea, U.S., Japan Plan Meeting on North Korea Human Rights in Washington, D.C., in October

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) — South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to hold a meeting in Washington in October to discuss human rights issues in North Korea, the South’s unification ministry said Friday.

The meeting, which will be hosted by the U.S. State Department in early October, will bring together government officials and civilian experts, the ministry said.

“The meeting will serve as a forum to discuss various issues related to North Korea, including human rights,” Kim In-ae, a deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press briefing.

The event would follow the historic trilateral summit held at Camp David, Maryland, last August, which brought together South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho is expected to attend the event, according to sources.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell reportedly invited Kim to attend the event during their meeting in the US in July, where they pledged to work together to promote accountability for human rights abuses in North Korea.

The Unification Ministry also plans to provide detailed explanations on the new unification doctrines proposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this month.

In a speech on Liberation Day, marking the 79th anniversary of North Korea’s independence from Japan from 1910 to 1945, Yoon suggested that South and North Korea establish a functioning channel of dialogue. He also vowed to raise global awareness of North Korea’s dire human rights situation.