Welcome for renewed North Korean human-rights dialogue with EU

Following a meeting on 2 October  in the European Parliament between Nirj Deva (Conservative MEP for the South East), Chairman designate of the European Parliament's Delegation to the Korean Peninsula, and the Honourable Hak Bong Hyon, the North Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom, it has now become evident that the North Korean authorities have agreed to re-open the EU-North Korea human rights dialogue which has been suspended since 2003.

H.E. Hyon's independent visit to Brussels comes just three weeks after the visit of Kang Sok Ju, the secretary and director of the Korean Workers' Party International Affairs Department, who visited Brussels and met with senior EU officials, and Nirj Deva MEP.

In relation to these developments, Deva said: "This is a most positive development reflecting a particular desire on the part of the North Korean authorities to engage with the EU and European Parliament in particular on a subject which is very much at the core of the Parliament's international development and human rights work."

Deva, who is also the vice president of the European Parliament's International Development Committee, said: "This provides a window of opportunity to examine avenues on how to improve relations with North Korea beyond the humanitarian engagement which is already in place."

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