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| ▲ This image provided by Yonhap News TV shows President-elect Donald Trump cast against the backdrop of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's image. (Yonhap) |
(US election) Trump win-NK human rights
(US election) Unification ministry pledges efforts to improve N.K. human rights under 2nd Trump term
SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry on Thursday pledged efforts to maintain cooperation with the United States to improve human rights in North Korea, addressing concerns that human rights issues might take a back seat during the second Trump term.
Trump's election to a second presidential term has sparked concerns that his "top-down" diplomacy and presumed preference for direct contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may lead to less attention on North Korean human rights issues than during the Joe Biden administration.
Speaking to reporters, a unification ministry official said that the government "will continue efforts to maintain cooperation between South Korea and the U.S." regarding the North Korean human rights issues.
The official said that U.S. policies on North Korean human rights are based on "widespread" support within the country, and a universal consensus on the need to improve rights in the North is firmly established between the governments and power circles of the two allies.
"The importance of and sensitivity toward human rights are continually increasing," he said.
The official also highlighted the attention Trump gave to North Korean human rights issues during his first term, citing the invitation of North Korean defector-turned-former South Korean lawmaker Ji Seong-ho to stand in the spotlight during his State of the Union address in 2018.
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