The head of the Seoul office of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) has reportedly been named after a two-year vacancy of the post.

According to the Voice of America(VOA), the spokesperson's office of the UN secretary general said that James Heenan was appointed head of the Seoul office and will begin his term shortly.

Heenan, the head of OHCHR Office in Palestine, has served the office for 16 years after working as a labor lawyer in Britain and Australia.

The head of the OHCHR office in Seoul remained vacant for two years and two months following Signe Poulsen’s departure for the Philippines upon completing her five-year term in July 2020.

North Korean human rights organizations have raised concerns about the prolonged leadership vacancy of the UN office that monitors human rights conditions in North Korea.