The U.N. special envoy on North Korean human rights has called for Pyongyang to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step toward abolishing the death penalty, criticizing the country’s reliance on capital punishment.

In her report to the U.N. General Assembly released Tuesday, special rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón also repeated her concerns about possible state retaliation against the families of two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces and transferred to South Korea, amid a spat between Kyiv and Seoul over the disclosure.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Salmón slammed Pyongyang in her latest report for expanding the scope of