Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who is visiting Korea, to discuss pending issues including North Korean human rights on Thursday.
Cho met with High Commissioner Türk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs annex of the Government Complex Seoul and gave a positive assessment of his continued efforts for substantive improvement in North Korean human rights. In response, Türk said, "It is significant that the Korean government participated as a co-sponsor of the North Korean human rights resolution at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council." He also expressed deep concern over the gravity of the human rights situation in North Korea and stressed that dialogue and engagement efforts should continue to improve human rights in the country.
The two sides also exchanged views on human rights situations in major regions. Regarding the recent situation in the Middle East, Cho expressed serious concern over the large-scale damage to civilians and infrastructure, and expressed hope that peace and stability in the region would be restored swiftly through negotiations.
Discussions were also held on establishing human rights norms related to artificial intelligence (AI). "I welcome the fact that High Commissioner Türk has been emphasizing human rights principles in AI development," Cho said. "Our government will also continue to contribute to establishing human rights norms for AI on stages such as the UN Human Rights Council."
Türk said, "Korea is playing a leading role in shaping human rights norms in emerging technology fields such as AI," and proposed, "Let us continue to cooperate closely so that technological advancement can be built on a foundation of respect for human rights."
