President Park: ‘COI’s Role Extremely Important and Just’

South Korean President Park Geun-hye, during her trip to New
York to attend the United Nations’ 69th General Assembly Meeting, held meetings
with leading research institutes in the country to discuss Seoul’s policies on
inter-Korean relations and regional politics.
 

According to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae on
Sunday, President Park spoke at a meeting with major think tanks on the 24th in
New York, where she said, “The COI [the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human
Rights in North Korea] plays a very important role, and it has done the right
thing,” adding, “Thanks to its work, North Korea felt the need to quickly
create a human rights report of its own and share it with the world.” 

Speaking on the issue of human rights in the North,
President Park said, “Not once have the human rights conditions in the North
been properly shared with the world,” according to presidential records. She
added, “I strongly believe the COI report has played a significant role in
raising awareness of Pyongyang’s human rights issues.”

The South Korean president also said, “If the international
community continues to show great interest in this issue in the future and
conveys this to the North, I think it will contribute to improving the
situation there.” 

Regarding her so-called “Dresden Declaration,” [an
initiative outlining her vision for peaceful unification on the Korean
Peninsula] the president said, “In order to build trust between the two Koreas,
I’m saying we should do whatever is possible at the moment, but North Korea is
refusing this.” She further elaborated, “We will continue to convey our will to
discuss all things through the Dresden paradigm, and this will create momentum.”

Following this she said, “Now is the time that I hope the
U.S. will provide support to create an environment for unification and make
preparations,” and emphasized, “If Washington and Beijing are able to develop
the practice of cooperation on North Korea’s nuclear issue, this will play a
large role in Northeast Asia and also contribute to world peace.”

Those attending the meeting expressed their support for
President Park’s creative approach towards dealing with Pyongyang’s nuclear
ambitions and agreed resolving the North’s human rights issue is something that
the international community shares common interest in.

The main agenda of the meeting was on North Korea and
unification, and issues related to Japan and China were not discussed,
according to the presidential office.