A former North Korean diplomat who once worked to deflect international criticism of Pyongyang’s human rights record called for “relentless” efforts to expose its abuses at a major forum in Seoul on Tuesday, emphasizing that this can lead to real change.

Held a day after North Korean Defectors’ Day, the 2025 Seoul Forum on North Korean Human Rights brought together experts and diplomats to explore the future of unification and strategies to improve rights conditions in North Korea.

Under the theme “The Future of Unification that We Envision, and North Korean Human Rights,” former political counselor at the DPRK