West OC Times

Ahead of an upcoming United Nations review, U.S. Representative Michelle Steel is urging the Biden-Harris Administration to address human rights violations in North Korea. Steel's appeal comes as part of a broader effort to hold Kim Jong-un’s regime accountable for not adhering to international human rights obligations.

Steel, whose parents fled North Korea, expressed her concerns in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. She highlighted issues such as torture, unlawful detainment, and improper treatment of refugees by the North Korean government.

The United States will have the chance to discuss these concerns during the United Nations Human Rights Council’s review process. "Decades after my parents fled following a communist takeover, North Korea’s government continues to abuse basic human rights and aggressively persecute its own citizens," said Rep. Michelle Steel. "Innocent North Koreans, defectors, and detained foreign citizens need the United States’ help now more than ever. I will continue fighting for their freedoms while urging the Biden Administration to hold North Korea accountable for violating international human rights standards."

In her letter, Steel urged Secretary Blinken to focus on several critical issues during the UN review: refugee repatriation from China back to North Korea; citizens of South Korea and Japan held against their will in North Korea; political prison camps; and North Korea's failure to ratify treaties aimed at preventing torture.