WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The U.S. envoy on North Korea's human rights issues left Thursday for Canada to discuss concerns over the plight of the communist nation's people.
Ambassador Robert King plans to visit Ottawa for two days, according to the State Department.
"He will meet with officials of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and members of the Parliament of Canada to discuss our shared concerns about the human rights situation in North Korea," said the department.
King's trip comes as Canada ratchets up pressure on Pyongyang to address its human rights record.
In September, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird issued a statement calling on North Korea to address its human rights abuses, including reported atrocities in political prison camps.
The minister raised the issue of the family of Oh Kil-nam, a 69-year-old retired economist.
Oh defected to North Korea in 1985, while studying in West Germany. He was sent back to Germany in 1986 on a mission to entice more South Koreans to the North, leaving behind his wife, Shin Sook-ja, and two daughters. He took political asylum in Denmark.
Oh has been appealing to the world for help in confirming the fate of his family in the North.
"When Mr. Oh defected from North Korea two years later, Ms. Shin and her daughters, Oh Hye-won and Oh Gyu-won, were imprisoned in the Yodok political prison camp," the Canadian minister said, echoing media reports.
Canada, a G-8 member, has not been directly involved in the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear program. But it has shown keen interest in North Korea issues, including its nuclear weapons drive.