A United Nations field office on the North Korean human rights issue opened in Seoul on Tuesday.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, hosted the opening ceremony of the U.N. office, which is located inside the Seoul Global Center in Jongno district in downtown Seoul.
The office will document the North’s human rights conditions and work to ensure accountability for systematic violations. It has also opened its official Twitter account and Facebook page.
In a report published in February of 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) had suggested establishing the office, accusing the North of systematic human rights abuses, including torture, starvation, and forced abortions.
The commission’s findings served as the basis of a new UN resolution on the North’s human rights issue that was passed at the UN General Assembly late last year.
Geneva and Bangkok had also been considered as a candidate to host the office, but Seoul was chosen partly due to its close proximity to the North and to highlight a contrast between the human rights conditions of the two Koreas.
Meanwhile, the hosting of the office appears to have a negative impact on inter-Korean relations for the time being.
Last Saturday, the North sent an email saying it cannot participate in the Universiade games citing the planned opening of the UN office and the South's military policies.
An official at Seoul's Unification Ministry has expressed regret over North Korea’s decision not to participate in the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade.

Stressing that human rights must be addressed separately from social, cultural and sports exchanges, the official said Seoul has worked to substantially improve human rights in North Korea. The UN field office was set up as part of those efforts and at the request of the international community.