UN envoy meets husband of S. Korean woman held in NK

The U.N. special envoy on North Korean human rights on Monday met with a South Korean man who has been appealing for the return of his wife and two daughters who have been held in North Korea's prison system for more than two decades.

Special U.N. rapporteur Marzuki Darusman arrived in Seoul on Sunday for a six-day visit for talks with senior South Korean officials and North Korean defectors, aimed at collecting the latest information on the North's human rights record.

On Monday, Darusman met with Oh Kil-nam, 69, the South Korean man whose family is trapped in the North's prison system, at a hotel in Seoul and listened to his story, government officials said.

Oh's family was lured to North Korea in 1985. His wife, Shin Sook-ja, and two daughters were reportedly taken to the North's political prison camps in 1987, following his escape from the communist nation.

During the 90-minute meeting, Oh asked the international community to join forces to help bring his wife and daughters home, according to the officials.

Darusman will also visit a government-run temporary base for defectors from North Korea, called the Hanawon center, officials said.

North Korea has long been accused of human rights abuses, ranging from holding hundreds of thousands of political prisoners to torture and public executions.

Pyongyang has denied the accusations, calling them a U.S.-led attempt to topple its regime.

The U.N. envoy plans to hold a press conference on Friday. (Yonhap)