UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea human rights Tomas Ojea Quintana has emphasized the severity of human right violations in North Korea. 

He spoke on the situation at a press conference in Seoul on Friday, where he wrapped up his latest visit to South Korea aimed at collecting data for a report to be submitted to the UN General Assembly in October. 

Quintana said despite progress and prospects regarding the process to denuclearize North Korea, human rights in the country remain worrisome. 

Unless basic human rights are guaranteed in the North, he said a dark cloud will be cast over bids to bring a future of peace and prosperity to the Korean Peninsula. 

He specifically expressed concerns about political prisoners in the North and the issue of abductions of South Koreans and Japanese by the North. Lack of freedom of expression and torture were also mentioned. 

He said human rights should be included among the agenda of inter-Korean negotiations for peace on the Korean Peninsula and called on the North to ready itself to discuss the issues. 

Regarding Seoul’s recent decisions to provide humanitarian aid to the regime, he welcomed them saying humanitarian assistance should not be politicized, and called on more countries and groups to follow suit.

During his five-day visit, the UN official interviewed North Korean defectors, South Korean civic groups and government officials.