[Global NK Interview]
Understanding Seoul’s DPRK Policy: Interconnection between Human Rights and Denuclearization
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Shin-wha Lee, the Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights, assesses the Yoon government’s North Korea policy as a valid approach to establish a virtuous cycle and mutual complementarity between “peace” and “freedom,” which are the core tenets of Yoon’s foreign policy. Highlighting that South Korea’s North Korean Human Rights Act provides meaningful platforms to openly discuss and hold the violator accountable, Lee urges the Yoon government to build on existing reports and multilateral initiatives to improve the North Korean human rights conditions. Furthermore, Lee argues that human rights and denuclearization must be linked in order to provide opportunity for North Korea to be accepted as a “normal state,” ensure effective verification during the potential denuclearization process, and offer the regime an economic incentive.
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