US-South Korea ”North Korean Human Rights” Consultation Held... ”International community should pay attention to the issue of improving access to information for North Korean residents”

The United States and South Korea held the "Second North Korean Human Rights Consultation" in Washington DC on the 15th (local time) and announced that "the international community should provide information on North Korean residents so that they can understand the reality for themselves."
According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jeon Young-hee, head of the Peace Diplomacy Planning Team, said on the same day that the US State Department
"North Korea's obsession with nuclear and missile development has led to violations of the fundamental rights of the North Korean people and has exacerbated the human rights situation," he said in a meeting with Julie Turner, the special envoy for human rights in North Korea.
Chief Jeong expressed concern that North Korea's internet usage rate is the lowest in the world, at less than 0.1 percent of the population, and said, "We need to eliminate the 'information gap' between North Korea and the outside world by promoting reactionary thinking."
"We need to raise our voices even louder, calling for the abolition of North Korea's unjust and excessive control measures, such as the Anti-Korean Problem Elimination Act."
The United States and the ROK will work to expand the circle of domestic and international sympathy regarding the seriousness of the North Korean human rights issue.
"The priority for both countries in improving human rights in North Korea is high," Turner said.
They also agreed to continue to closely coordinate on concrete steps the two countries could take to substantially improve human rights in North Korea.
The U.S.-ROK North Korea Human Rights Consultation Meeting was held in November last year after a six-year hiatus.
Attending were officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on the Russian side, and from the National Security Council (NSC) and the Ministry of Defense on the U.S. side.