Minister to visit North Korea
Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell is to become the first ever British Minister to visit North Korea.
The secretive communist state was named by George Bush as one of the countries on the “Axis of Evil”. The US claims that North Korea has a secret nuclear weapons programme.
The true extent of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme is shrouded in secrecy. Most experts agree that the country did have a nuclear weapons programme, at least up until 1994 when it signed an agreement to suspend its weapons programme in return for imports of fuel, notably from America.
However, in 2002 it restarted its nuclear programme and UN monitors left the country. It is not clear though whether it has restarted its military as well as domestic programme, and either way exactly what its capability is.
The landmark visit will take place in September, when Mr Rammell will meet with a number of senior North Korean figures.
Announcing the visit, Mr Rammell said: “The UK genuinely wants to engage with North Korea. I believe the time is right for a British Minister to visit, as the North Koreans have for the first time agreed that they are willing to discuss with us the human rights situation in North Korea. I will be holding high level discussions with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun, and other senior figures, on a range of issues including North Korea’s nuclear programme and its human rights record.
“I will express to the North Korean authorities the UK’s deep concern at the DPRK’s nuclear programme and our full support for the six party talks process. North Korea’s nuclear programme is a matter of great concern for the entire international community. I will urge North Korea to remain committed to the agreed objectives of the talks process, namely the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
“I will also convey the UK’s concern at the dreadful reports that we continue to hear about the human rights situation in the DPRK. I want to get beyond the automatic denials. I will urge the North Korean authorities to comply with the resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights. My visit is the first time North Korea has agreed to human rights talks with the UK. The Foreign Office’s chief human rights expert will accompany me.”
Diplomatic relations between the UK and North Korea were established in December 2000, after the Government decided that some progress had been made on North Korea’s dialogue with the South. The British embassy opened in Pyongyang in July 2001 with the North Korean ambassador to Britain taking up residence in London in September 2003.
Since the formal establishment of relationships there have been a number of high level North Korean visits to the UK, notably by the vice foreign minister Sok Ung in May this year.
The human rights situation is of major concern to activists and the UK government. Accurate information is difficult to come by due to the total level of state control, with information mainly coming from defectors. The Foreign Office itself notes that “it seems likely that a very large number of individuals have suffered and are suffering from practices that represent extremely serious violations of their human rights” and has urged North Korea to allow international monitors into the country.
