Rubio says appointment process underway to find 'right person' for NK human rights envoy

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, Wednesday. EPA-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that an appointment process is taking place to find the "right" person to fill the State Department post for special envoy for North Korean human rights issues.

The secretary made the remarks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, responding to a question by Rep. Young Kim about whether he has a plan to appoint someone to fill the post that has been vacant since former Special Envoy Julie Turner left in January.

"Yes and obviously, that's going through the process of the presidential personnel for the appointment process to find the right person ... make sure the vetting is cleared and so forth," Rubio said.

He noted that initially, the administration prioritized appointments of assistant secretaries and other Senate confirmed positions.

"We are working through it, but obviously our intention is to have someone as the statute requires," he said.

Questions have lingered over whether the Trump administration would name a new special envoy amid a sense that it is paying less attention to foreign human rights issues.

The appointment of the special envoy for North Korean human rights is based on the North Korean Human Rights Act, which was first enacted in 2004 and is updated and reauthorized periodically.

Turner took the special envoy post in October 2023, filling a vacancy that had lasted more than six years.