Unification Minister Kim to visit U.S. this week for N. Korean human rights talks

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho will visit the United States this week to hold discussions with officials from Washington and Tokyo regarding the human rights situation in North Korea, his office said Wednesday. Kim's visit to Washington, D.C., which will take place from Thursday to Sunday, includes trilateral talks involving officials from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. The meeting was initially proposed by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell during Kim's previous visit to the U.S. in July. Although there have been events discussing North Korean human rights among relevant nations, this will be the first official gathering of South Korean, U.S. and Japanese government officials specifically to address the issue, the ministry said. Kim will deliver opening remarks at the meeting, which will discuss topics such as access to information in North Korea and testimonies from North Korean defectors about human rights abuses in the reclusive regime. The minister will also give a special lecture at Ge orge Washington University on President Yoon Suk Yeol's "Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine." In his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Yoon outlined a vision for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas. Kim is also scheduled to meet with experts from major think tanks to discuss key issues related to the Korean Peninsula and prospects for reunification. Source: Yonhap News Agency