Turning now to an unprecedented UN investigation into human rights abuses in North Korea.
The UN's Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights wrapped up their 10-day stay in Seoul on this
Tuesday.
Before moving on to Japan,. their next destination,. the three-member panel briefed reporters on
their findings through their collection of testimonies from North Korean defectors in
Seoul.
For more, we are joined by our Hwang Sung-hee in the studio.
Hello, Sung-hee.
Hi guys.
Sung-hee, how exactly was this investigation conducted by the UN panel?
The United Nations' Commission of Inquiry, headed by Michael Kirby, has been in Seoul
since August 18th.
Since then, the three commissioners held public hearings to collect testimonies from those
who witnessed North Korea's violation of human rights first hand.
During the five-day hearing, the team met with around 50 North Korean defectors.
This is the first day of the hearing, where Shin Dong-hyuk, a well-known North Korean
defector turned human rights activist, offered his account of the North's crimes against
humanity.
"What is it that you saw when you were five-years-old?"
"At political prisons, there are public executions twice every year."
The commission said that through the hearings, they were able to gather evidence of violations
of human rights by North Korea, like the existence of prison camps where detainees are treated
inhumanely.
For instance, here, prisoners are often required to live on rats, mice and grasshoppers and
are under constant torture.
The commission was in Seoul for 10 days and that's quite a long period of time.
Did they come across any new allegations of human rights violations by the North?
They did.
The commission said that they were able to get better insight into some new matters,
such as trafficking, forced abortions and other indignities against women who are caught
while trying to escape from the regime.
However, the UN panel said that no final conclusion can be drawn up yet as their investigation
is not complete.
The panel will begin another round of investigation in Japan, mostly collecting accounts on Japanese
abductees to North Korea.
Once they wrap things up, the commission will submit a final report to the UN in March next
year.
North Korea hasn't allowed the commission to enter the country for on-site investigations.
How reliable is the evidence and the testimonies?
That's the problem.
The commission has asked the North Korean government numerous times to visit the North
for on-site investigations.
North Korea has denied any human rights abuses, and has said that UN inspectors will not be
allowed on North Korean soil.
However, during the press conference today, Michael Kirby, the chief commissioner of the
UN panel, said that his commission will continue to reach out to the North for access to their
country and promised to work with no preconceptions.
"The best way for North Korea to respond to the type of evidence, which if left unanswered
is believable, even in some matters compelling, is for it to open its doors, give access."
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency denounced the investigation today,
calling it a scheme to break up the current momentum in dialogue between the two Koreas.
Are there any recent signs of improvements in human rights conditions in the North?
Human rights in the North has been one of the issues that the international community
has been keeping a close eye on.
U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues Robert King recently paid a
visit to Seoul and expressed hope.
"We'd like to see progress on human rights, we've focused on those issues and we'd like
to see the North make progress on those areas."
But some say that North Korea is showing efforts to make improvements in humanitarian issues.
President Peter Maurer of the International Committee of the Red Cross who visited North
Korea last week said that North Korea was enthusiastic about resolving humanitarian
issues like the resumption of family reunions.
Also, a report released today by a U.S.-based NGO group Human Rights in North Korea said
that North Korea has apparently closed down two out of six prison camps.
The report said the prisoners at these camps have mostly been freed, setting a good precedent,
but added that still some 130-thousand political prisoners are being tortured in North Korea's
four remaining prison camps.
All right, thank you for your report today, Sung-hee.
My pleasure.