Senior US diplomats to visit S. Korea next week for workshop on NK human rights violations

Two senior US diplomats will travel to South Korea next week to attend a workshop on human rights violations in North Korea and other events, the State Department said Wednesday.

During their trip from Monday to Oct. 11, Special Envoy for North Korean human rights Julie Turner and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack plan to co-host a high-level strategic workshop centering on accountability for human rights violations in the North, according to the department.

Organized by the Center for Justice and Accountability, a human rights organization, and funded by the State Department's Office of Global Criminal Justice, the workshop aims to strengthen global efforts to address human rights abuses.

The two officials will also meet South Korean officials, civil society leaders and North Korean escapees, it said.

"These engagements will emphasize the US commitment to holding the DPRK accountable for its human rights violations and abuses, supporting the North Korean defector and escapee community, and advancing a survivor-centered approach to justice," the department said in a release. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Ambassadors Turner and Van Schaack will also highlight the importance of multilateral cooperation to raise awareness of and address the ongoing human rights abuses in the DPRK," it added.

The department reaffirmed that the US remains "steadfast" in working with South Korea and other allies to amplify the voices of North Korean escapees and ensure their stories are heard. (Yonhap)