The government was found to have submitted beforehand written questions for a UN review of China’s human rights scheduled to be held later this month. 

Foreign minister Cho Tae-yul told reporters on Thursday that Seoul submitted the previous day such questions for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China which is set to be held on January 23. 

UPR is a unique mechanism that involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States.

Wednesday marked the first time South Korea submitted written questions on the UPR of China. 

A foreign ministry official in Seoul said the written questions touched on the issue of North Korean escapees in China which has drawn strong attention lately in the international community. 

The official said as part of its inquiry, Seoul had asked China about the application process for refugee status that is available for defectors of other nationalities, including North Korea and ways Beijing can help and protect foreign female defectors from being exposed to human trafficking, forced marriages and other types of exploitation.