North Korea slams UN rapporteur over human rights comment

U.N. Special Rapporteur of human rights Tomas Ojea Quintana during a press conference at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul in July 2018. Korea Times file

By Jung Da-min

North Korea's party organ Rodong Sinmun on Monday criticized the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur of human rights Tomas Ojea Quintana's recent visit to South Korea, saying it triggered unnecessary conflict between the two Koreas.

"The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has interrupted inter-Korean relations and has attempted to create an artificial disability in its progress," its editorial said.

"The fact that he said inter-Korean cooperation and North Korean human rights issues need to be settled at the same time is actually an anti-DPRK evil scheme that also ruins the cooperative atmosphere between the two Koreas," the paper added.

Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Seoul from Jan. 7-11 to meet South Korean government officials and diplomats as well as recent escapees from North Korea.

Wrapping up his five-day visit, Quintana told the media that North Korea's human rights situation remained "extremely serious."

But the North's party mouthpiece said Quintana was distorting the reality of the country to intensify sanctions against the regime in a wider evil scheme to destroy it.

Quintana has been saying that although the talks on North Korea's denuclearization are important, the human rights issue should not be overlooked while the Korean Peninsula seeks peace.

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