| Date: 02/05/2012 Time: 09:26:00 AM |
The US voiced here late Tuesday its deep
concern over the human rights situation in North Korea, "including forced
labor camps."
The State Department said in reply to a question that the US "remains
deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK), including forced labor camps."
It added that "promoting human rights is a key component of our policy
toward North Korea, and how the DPRK addresses human rights will have a
significant impact on the prospect for closer US-DPRK ties."
It affirmed that US officials raised human rights issues with North Koreans
in "face-to-face meetings," where also "we highlight our specific concerns
about human rights in North Korea in our annual human rights report."
"Through international organizations, including the UN General Assembly and
the UN Human Rights Council, we call attention to specific human rights
violations," it stressed.
It noted that "with our bilateral and multilateral partners, we continue to
identify areas where we can improve human rights conditions on the ground in
North Korea." |