By Lee Min-hyung
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is likely to have asked for Ojea Quintana, the United Nations' special investigator on human rights in North Korea, to take a "toned-down" approach in handling North Korea's human rights abuses.
Quintana is on a five-day trip to Seoul from Monday as he plans to meet with ranking ministerial officials including Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho and Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho.
"His visit is intended to gather relevant data on the status quo of the North's human rights situation before the United Nations General Assembly convenes on the condition of North Korea's human rights situation in October," a foreign ministry official said.
Both ministries declined to comment on what specifically Quintana discussed with the vice ministers. But chances are that the South Korean authorities kept it low key during the meeting with the U.N. official, as Seoul does not want to provoke Pyongyang amid stalemated nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and the North.
President Moon Jae-in, who appointed himself as mediator and facilitator between the two major parties discussing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, is seeking to push for the fourth inter-Korean summit sometime before U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Seoul at the end of this month.
President Moon is hoping to break the deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as early as possible since the breakdown in Hanoi.
To build such a political mood on the peninsula, the Korean government has for months kept a low profile when carrying out any acts that the North might view as "provocative." They include the resumption of joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, and any public announcements denouncing the North's human rights conditions, according to political analysts in Seoul.
North Korea has yet to respond to the South's proposal for the fourth summit. But to encourage the meeting to take place in a timely manner, relevant ministries from the South are urged not to take any actions which may irritate the North's young leader.
"Depending on the political circumstances, it is wise for the government to shift its position on the issue from time to time," a Seoul-based political analyst said.
"But the low-key position should be an outward political gesture," he said. "Seoul needs to pay close and steady attention to the North's human rights conditions, while at the same time, take relevant actions in a way to improve the condition in a peaceful manner. The actions include the government-led support in funds to related departments handling the issue."
The government seems to be too worried that the international community's continuous accusations related to the Kim regime's dictatorship may get in the way of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with the North, according to the expert.
"The North's willingness for dialogue will not be affected by such accusations by international authorities, such as the U.N."
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| Ojea Quintana, the United Nations' special investigator on human rights in North Korea |
Quintana is on a five-day trip to Seoul from Monday as he plans to meet with ranking ministerial officials including Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho and Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho.
"His visit is intended to gather relevant data on the status quo of the North's human rights situation before the United Nations General Assembly convenes on the condition of North Korea's human rights situation in October," a foreign ministry official said.
Both ministries declined to comment on what specifically Quintana discussed with the vice ministers. But chances are that the South Korean authorities kept it low key during the meeting with the U.N. official, as Seoul does not want to provoke Pyongyang amid stalemated nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and the North.
President Moon Jae-in, who appointed himself as mediator and facilitator between the two major parties discussing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, is seeking to push for the fourth inter-Korean summit sometime before U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Seoul at the end of this month.
President Moon is hoping to break the deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as early as possible since the breakdown in Hanoi.
To build such a political mood on the peninsula, the Korean government has for months kept a low profile when carrying out any acts that the North might view as "provocative." They include the resumption of joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, and any public announcements denouncing the North's human rights conditions, according to political analysts in Seoul.
North Korea has yet to respond to the South's proposal for the fourth summit. But to encourage the meeting to take place in a timely manner, relevant ministries from the South are urged not to take any actions which may irritate the North's young leader.
"Depending on the political circumstances, it is wise for the government to shift its position on the issue from time to time," a Seoul-based political analyst said.
"But the low-key position should be an outward political gesture," he said. "Seoul needs to pay close and steady attention to the North's human rights conditions, while at the same time, take relevant actions in a way to improve the condition in a peaceful manner. The actions include the government-led support in funds to related departments handling the issue."
The government seems to be too worried that the international community's continuous accusations related to the Kim regime's dictatorship may get in the way of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with the North, according to the expert.
"The North's willingness for dialogue will not be affected by such accusations by international authorities, such as the U.N."
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