South Korean presidential frontrunner Lee Jae-myung pledged to pursue tangible improvements in North Korean human rights and work to increase assistance for those affected by the division of the peninsula, including separated families and defectors, a move that one expert characterized as a calculated shift to appeal to moderate and conservative voters.

In a social media post on Monday, the Democratic Party (DP) candidate said his administration would work to enhance humanitarian assistance and improve policies for separated families, abductees, former South Korean prisoners of war, North Korean defectors and others impacted by inter-Korean division.