The Status of Human Rights in North Korea Should be Told in Public

Lorne W. Craner, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in U.S. Department of State, said on the 17th, “it is time to publicly talk about the status of human rights in North Korea. ”

Assistant Secretary Craner, at the explanatory meeting for human rights in N Korea held at U.S. Congress, said, “N. Korea does not allow the liberty of religion, and only governmental officers can use Internet. ”

The explanatory meeting was held sponsored by Human Rights Committee of the Congress at the annex to the House building Rayburn in order to attract international interests over the status of human rights in N. Korea.

When chairperson Mark Kirk raise the issue of half million separated American of Korean descent` visiting N. Korea, Assistant Secretary Craner said, “U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed already that the government will include this matter into the agenda of negotiation with N. Korea as soon as N. Korea-U.S. talk resumes. ”

To the matter of dealing with fugitives from N. Korea, he clearly stood against repatriation, saying, “America doesn`t agree to the repatriation of fugitives from N. Korea. ”

Ki-Heung Han eligius@donga.com