The chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea has asked North Korean defectors living in the South to actively report cases of human rights violations they experienced in the North.

Chairman Hyun Byung-chul sent a message to the defectors informing them of the establishment in March of a center where they could report such violations.

Hyun said in the message sent Thursday that it is regretful that the defectors have no place to speak of their suffering due to insufficient reports and record-keeping of human rights violations in North Korea. He asked them to have the courage to report violations.