The top U.S. envoy on North Korea's human rights said the regime’s threats to international security cannot be resolved without addressing the country’s human rights crisis.

Julie Turner made the remark at the Korea Global Forum 2023 co-hosted by Seoul's unification ministry and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Monday.

Turner said the North's human rights violations and abuses are inextricably linked with its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.

Pointing to Pyongyang's "repressive political climate" as the reason that a large share of public resources can be funneled into weapons development, the envoy said forced domestic and overseas labor play a key role in sustaining the regime and generating the revenue used for its weapons program.

She then anticipated coordination with South Korea and other partners and allies to clearly establish the link between the regime's human rights violations and its weapons program.

Turner also stressed that efforts to advance the North's accountability and engagement with the regime are not necessarily "zero-sum" objectives.

[Photo : YONHAP News]