Dear Ambassador [Ryu Jeonghyun], dear Madam [Marija] Pejcinovic Buric, dear guests, good afternoon.

It is a pleasure to be here with you and address this forum. I thank the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the European Union and the Center for European Policy Studies for their kind invitation and for hosting this timely initiative.

Across the world, we witness a backlash against human rights and against human dignity. Human rights are under attack but there are few places in the world where this statement has been for decades so true as in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Ten years ago, the ground-breaking United Nations Commission of Inquiry Report on Human Rights in the DPRK unveiled a grim reality: systematic, widespread, and egregious human rights violations, including public executions, torture, and enforced disappearances.

Fast-forward to our day and the grim human rights situation has only gotten worse. Since the pandemic, the DPRK remains largely secluded from the world; yet, its isolation in the international community has eased lately. We see a marriage of convenience of two of the world’s pariahs as Moscow and Pyongyang emerge as military allies, defying the rules-based order and the UN Charter. North Korean troops are being deployed alongside the Russian army to attack Ukraine. Not only are these new developments a major threat to peace in Asia and in Europe, they have serious human rights implications. The DPRK’s illegal weapons program and boosted production of armaments for Putin’s illegal aggression go at the expense of economic and social rights of North Koreans.

For many years, the European Union has led international efforts to keep the situation in the DPRK in the human rights spotlight. In April, the UN Human Rights Council adopted by consensus an EU-led resolution on the human rights situation in the DPRK. This week, a similar resolution under the EU leadership has been adopted by consensus in the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Based on these initiatives, an update of the Commission of Inquiry report is under preparation, and the UN is set to hold a high-level plenary meeting on human rights violations in the DPRK, including testimonies of victims.

As EU Special Representative for Human Rights, I have directed much of my attention lately to the situation in the DPRK. Just last week, I met with Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón. Last month, I visited Seoul and spoke with the South Korean government – with the Foreign Minister and the Unification Minister, among others. It was encouraging to hear how central human rights are for the government’s policy towards the DPRK and how committed and active South Korea is as a multilateral actor.

During the visit, I exchanged also with local civil society and with United Nations agencies. I met with three North Korean women who had escaped their home country. I listened to their heart-breaking stories of starvation in the DPRK and abuse in China. I learned about the plight of the six South Koreans abducted and detained in the DPRK. These personal encounters are important reminders of the very concrete human cost of rights violations in the DPRK. And I am glad that this Forum will give space to the voices of victims.

When I met with the Korean civil society in Seoul, one participant remarked that we had entered another “dark era” in the DPRK’s history. I still believe that there is a light of hope if we act together and reverse the tide for human rights in the DPRK and globally. The European Union will continue standing up for people in North Korea and their human rights.

I wish you a productive discussion. Thank you. Gamsa-ham-nida.