Anchor: The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner(OHCHR) Seoul released a report on Tuesday on the crime of enforced disappearance and related violations by North Korea. 

The report titled “These Wounds Do Not Heal; Enforced disappearance and abductions by North Korea,” is based on 80 interviews of enfored disappearance victims and their relatives as well as North Korean escapees and foreign nationals who were abducted to the regime but later escaped. 

In an exclusive interview with KBS World English News on Wednesday, James Heenan, representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul called on Pyongyang to acknowledge the occurrence of enforced disappearances.

Yun So-hyang has more. 
 
Report: The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner Seoul stated that victims of enforced disappearance in North Korea have endured continuous human rights violations for over decades.
 
KBS World Radio sat down with James Heenan, representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul to discuss this issue.
 
[Sound bite: James Heenan - Representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul]
“I would hope that the most egregious forms of violation are lowered in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, one of them is enforced disappearances which we put out a report out on yesterday, we would hope that enforced disappearances are not only stopped but there is some form of acknowledgement and reparation for victims."

Heenan added that victims of enforced disppearances amount to millions considering that the rights of the victims' loved ones have also been violated.
 
He also stated that the OHCHR Seoul Office is urging North Korea to confirm the fate and whereabouts of people who were forced to disappear.

In regards to balancing the issue of human rights and nuclear security, Heenan stated that the two issues are inseparable.

[Sound bite: James Heenan - Representative of the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul] 
“...One of the problems with dealing with the DPRK, is [that the issue of human rights is] being siloed in the sense that it’s human rights here and it’s been peace and security and nonproliferation here. There’s a lot of talk about the human rights situation in DPRK, but as soon as there is a crisis or missile launch, talk disappears and we go into the peace and security context."

KBS World Radio will broadcast the interview on its primetime news show Korea24 on Wednesday and the full-length video of the interview on its website.  

Yun So-hyang, KBS World Radio News.