Seoul to push for establishment of state

People pay their respects to the statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, Dec. 17, in this photo released the day after by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Seoul is pressing ahead with the establishment of a state-run museum as part of its effort to raise awareness on human rights abuses under the Kim regime, officials said on Tuesday. Yonhap

In new roadmap, officials say they will confirm site, develop content next yearBy Jung Min-ho

South Korea is pressing ahead with the establishment of a state-run museum as part of its efforts to raise awareness on North Korea’s human rights abuses despite budget shortages caused by the main opposition party.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, officials at the Ministry of Unification said they will use next year’s project budget of 4.6 billion won ($3.5 million) for land purchase, construction design and content development among other activities.

“We are on the verge of signing a contract for a site at Magok-dong (in southwestern Seoul),” a high-ranking official said. “We will do our best to break ground as soon as possible.”

The ministry proposed a project budget of more than 10 billion won to begin construction in 2024, but it was later slashed by lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Apparently undeterred by the absence of the party’s full cooperation, officials said they will push for a total budget of 26 billion won over the next three years to finish the construction of a North Korean human rights center by 2027.

The ministry brought up the idea of building a museum dedicated to the issue several years ago, but it failed to gain traction amid a thaw in inter-Korean relations during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. After a protracted delay, a Seoul-based NGO, Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, opened its exhibition facility for that theme on Nov. 15 with support from the ministry.

Visitors look at books displayed at the privately run North Korean Human Rights Museum in central Seoul, Nov. 15. Yonhap

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Expanding such efforts is one of the strategies included in the ministry’s new comprehensive roadmap to promote the rights of ordinary people in the North. Officials said human rights stand as a core issue directly connected to its constitutional vision for unification: one based on the basic free democratic order.

To this end, officials said they will continue to step up efforts to improve human rights in the North, particularly by strengthening international collaboration.

Beijing’s recent decision to resume its practice of forcibly deporting North Korean escapees after the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic border restrictions was a reminder for Seoul that it would need to garner a more united voice from other countries against the obvious violation of international law.

The ministry said it would continue to bring up the issue at every diplomatic opportunity until the Chinese government permanently stops the “grave abuse” of human rights. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs promised cooperation at the press briefing.

“There is no difference in our position between the unification and foreign ministries,” the ranking official said. “We will continue to work together in terms of maintaining our stance on the issue.”

Developing government networks with North Korean defectors’ communities — not just in South Korea but also overseas — is included among other projects laid out in the roadmap.

Their firsthand experience as the victims and witnesses of North Korea’s rights violations can help establish the facts regarding its state violence and build cases to bring those responsible to justice at the International Criminal Court or the South Korean judiciary if given the chance, according to the ministry.

Activists working to improve the rights of North Koreans are also expected to receive more government support, the ministry added.

“As President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a meeting on Nov. 28, the truth is the fundamental force needed to bring improvements in North Korea’s human rights,” the official said. "We will focus on spreading the truth for that goal.” the official said.