Asia

UN Group To Push ‘Disappeared’ Cases With North Korea

The United Nations has questioned the North Korean government, asking Pyongyang for an explanation on the location of 41 people presumed missing or possibly abducted.

In reports from South Korea the UN group is understood to have issued an annual study online in which 41 “enforced disappearance” cases between May 23rd last year and May 15th this year have been highlighted.

Enforced disappearance is a term typically employed to describe an individual whose whereabouts are unknown after it is understood they have vanished following state ordered or state managed actions.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

The report by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) will now be given to the United Nations  Human Rights Council’s 45th session, scheduled for a hearing between September 14th and October 2nd.

WGEID has previously requested the North Korean government in Pyongyang look into 316 cases of enforced disappearances over the past 40 years, to no avail.

It is hoped the government of Kim Jong-un may be more forthcoming than that of his father, Kim Jong-il.

Pyongyang has reportedly remained silent on any such cases or simply denied knowledge.

“The Working Group remains concerned by the lack of engagement and cooperation from a number of countries. For instance, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to send standard replies without substantive information on the case transmitted,” the WGEID report says.

Some of the enforced disappearances supposedly linked to North Korea include that of their own citizens, with others of South Koreans and Japanese nationals dating back to the 1950 – 1953 Korean War.

Lisa Conklin

Lisa is an Eastender from London in her second year in Taipei where she teaches English, and in her spare time writes poetry. She is a practicing vegan and lover of yoga who lives 'off-grid' as much as possible. She is our weekend editor.

Recent Posts

Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine completes maiden sea trial in strategic defense milestone

Taiwan successfully completed the maiden sea trial of its first domestically developed submarine on Tuesday,…

2 weeks ago

U.S. launches strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer

In an unprecedented covert operation, the United States carried out a high-risk, long-range bombing mission…

2 weeks ago

India’s Modi clarifies with Trump there was no US mediation in India-Pakistan ceasefire

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has firmly refuted claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump…

3 weeks ago

Trump exits G7 early amid escalating Iran-Israel crisis, warns Iranians to evacuate Tehran

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly left the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Tuesday, citing…

3 weeks ago

Trump administration contemplates expanding travel ban to 36 more countries amid security concerns

The Trump administration is considering a dramatic expansion of its travel ban policy, potentially barring…

3 weeks ago

Iran strikes Tel Aviv and Haifa as Israel-Iran tensions reach its fourth day

Tensions in the Middle East escalated dramatically on Monday as Iran launched a barrage of…

3 weeks ago