Members of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the state of human rights in North Korea held a press conference this morning to mark the culmination of their 10-day fact-finding trip to South Korea.

Michael Kirby, who heads the COI team, commented in pre-distributed documents that the COI has been provided with concrete and detailed evidence by the various witnesses who gave testimony, and that their important testimony would be accurately conveyed to the international community. The COI team heard public testimony from more than 40 witnesses during the visit, including persons abducted by North Korea, defectors and other expert voices.

The COI, which was launched in March and is set to last for a year, is investigating systematic human rights abuses in North Korea. It includes Kirby, along with UN Special Rapporteur for North Korean human rights Maruzki Darusman, and Serbian human rights activist Sonja Biserko.

The COI is charged with investigating a number of different categories of human rights violations, including: ▲ violations of the right to food and life; ▲ unlawful detention; ▲ torture and other forms of inhumane treatment; ▲ discriminatory policies; and ▲ violations of freedom of speech and religion.

Meanwhile, speaking this morning at the 3rd KINU Chaillot Human Rights Forum, also in Seoul, Maruzki Darusman warned North Korea, "The COI is not an end, but the beginning of a much firmer approach the international community has taken towards finding the truth, bringing justice and reconciliation, and improving human rights for the millions in [North Korea].”