Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by Mr Marzuki Darusman, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, that the United Kingdom should consider implementation of all recommendations made by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry in its report, including steps to increase the flow of free and impartial information into North Korea.

The UK welcomes the spotlight shone by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on horrific and systemic violations of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We have urged the DPRK authorities to respond in detail to the contents of the report and to address the violations that it documents.

Although not all recommendations in the COI report apply directly to the UK, where possible we have taken steps to support implementation. For example, on the findings related to trafficking and forced repatriation, we have made clear to the Chinese government that we believe that people who have escaped from the DPRK are entitled to protection and should be allowed safe passage to resettlement in third countries.