North Korea calls Turner, US Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, a "Confrontation Envoy Inciting Conflict"

Statement by the Spokesperson of the Joseon Human Rights Research Association on the 9th

North Korea condemned Julie Turner, the U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights at the State Department, on the 9th, calling her a "confrontation envoy" who incites interference in internal affairs and confrontation.

A spokesperson for the Korean Human Rights Research Association said in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency on the same day, "The United States is inciting extreme hostility toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). At the forefront of this is Julie Turner, the U.S. State Department's Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights," expressing this view.

Julie Turner, Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights. [Photo by Joint Press Corps] [Image source=Yonhap News]

The spokesperson claimed, "The so-called protection of defectors, expansion of information inflow, and strengthening of accountability for human rights abuses mentioned by Turner are manifestations of an aggressive attempt to demonize our dignified state, create psychological instability and dissatisfaction internally, and ultimately lay the groundwork for overthrowing the system and collapsing the regime."

He added, "This is precisely the essence of the U.S. human rights policy toward Korea that America boasts about," and "The United States itself is the world's largest human rights violator that should be subject to international scrutiny."

In the statement, the spokesperson enclosed expressions such as 'defectors,' 'human rights,' 'human rights abuses,' and 'special envoy' in double angle brackets (《》), indicating a refusal to acknowledge U.S. criticism of North Korean human rights.

He continued, "The greatest threat to the human rights guarantee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) comes from the U.S. hostile policy toward Korea," emphasizing, "Human rights can never be used as a tool to realize the hegemonic policies of any particular country under any circumstances."

Julie Turner, who was officially appointed last October to fill the six-year vacancy of the U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, has been raising a strong voice through various activities to inform about the human rights situation in North Korea. After her appointment, North Korea has been spewing harsh words, calling her an "ignoramus who does not even know human rights."