United States: The United States President Joe Biden has nominated a special envoy for human rights in North Korea. The position has been vacant since January 2017, when the envoy under Barack Obama, Robert King, stepped down as part of the presidential transition.

According to the White House statement, Mr. Biden nominated Ms. Julie Turner, a Korean-speaking career diplomat who currently heads the Asia section of the State Department’s human rights bureau.

Ms. Turner previously worked on North Korean human rights as a special assistant in the envoy’s office, the statement added. The appointment needs further confirmation from the Senate.

Mr. Biden vowed repeatedly after taking office in 2021 that human rights would be at the centre of his foreign policy, but failed to appoint anyone to the position.

In 2022, South Korea’s ambassador on North Korean human rights expressed disappointment that Mr. Biden’s administration had yet to appoint an envoy for the issue at the time.

In its most recent global report on human rights, the US State Department reported widespread abuses in North Korea, including strict bans on all forms of dissent, public executions, and mass incarceration camps where prisoners are subjected to forced labour and starvation.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. The country accused Washington and Seoul of using the issue as a political tool to smear Pyongyang’s reputation.

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