A U. N. official stressed on Friday his intention to address the issue of the Japanese who were abducted by North Korea decades ago if he can visit the recl<\/b>
\nSEOUL \u2013 A U. N. official stressed on Friday his intention to address the issue of the Japanese who were abducted by North Korea decades ago if he can visit the reclusive communist country.
Tomas Quintana, U. N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea, told reporters in Seoul that he expects to start talks with North Korean officials on various issues in the country.
Quintana said that he wants to visit North Korea and hold talks with officials and residents there, although he has yet to receive permission to enter the country.
Quintana said that he wants to make a visit to Japan in the near future to hold discussions on the abduction issue.
Praising a proposal Seoul made to North Korea about holding a meeting of military officials from both sides and holding separate talks for officials of their Red Cross societies, Quintana said he hopes that Pyongyang will positively respond to the overture.
The U. N. human rights official also said he was \u201calarmed by a surge in detentions and forced repatriations of North Koreans who are caught in China, \u201d urging Beijing to give special protection to those who remain in the country.
\u201cOver the past few months, I have shared these concerns with the Chinese authorities, \u201d he said, adding that he reminded them of China\u2019s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and other major human rights instruments.
\u201cI urge them again to address this problem by giving special protection to DPRK citizens who transit through China\u2019s territory, \u201d he said, using the acronym for North Korea\u2019s official name, the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea. South Korea\u2019s official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK) .
Quintana said \u201cescapees\u201d repatriated to North Korea from China are routinely sent to re-education camps and sentenced to forced labor without due process of law.<\/p>\n