Prominent North Korean defector Shin Dong-hyuk, who gave a testimony at the UN about human rights abuses in the North’s political prisons, has strongly criticized the North Korean regime for taking his father hostage.
 
The 31-year-old defector confirmed on his Facebook page on Tuesday that the man shown in a recent video by the North is his father.
 
North Korea’s propaganda Web site Uriminzokkiri released a video this week of an elderly man who urged Shin to “come to your senses and return to the embrace of the party.”
 
In an article posted on CNN later, Shin called on the international community to take interest not only in the North’s nuclear issue but also in its human rights conditions.