The article discusses South Korea’s approach to North Korean human rights issues, focusing on the decision regarding the publication of the North Korean Human Rights Report. Since 2018, the Ministry of Unification has produced this report, initially designating it as a “Class 3 secret,” not available to the public due to concerns about the disclosure of information on North Korean defectors and potential impacts on inter-Korean relations.
Under President Yoon Suk-yeol, the government shifted toward publicly releasing the report and even producing an English version for international audiences. However, the current administration under Lee Jae-myung initially considered not publishing the report at all in 2025. This decision was met with criticism from political figures, leading the government to reconsider its stance, opting instead to produce the report as an internal document, not for public release.
The Ministry of Unification emphasized that aggressive confrontation over human rights issues has little impact on improving the actual human rights situation in North Korea, indicating the government’s reluctance to use the human rights issue as a means of pressuring North Korea.