NORTH KOREA – UN political chief heads to DPR Korea for talks with senior officials
15 February 2010 11:42 pm

nk_lynnpascoe_un.jpgThe top United Nations political official arrived in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 9 February for talks with senior
Government officials after wrapping up meetings in Beijing and Seoul.
As the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe left the Chinese capital on 9 February
for comprehensive talks on all issues of mutual interest and concern
with the DPRK during his visit to Pyongyang, slated to run from 8 -12
February. 
nk_lynnpascoe_un.jpg(Source:
UN News Centre, 8 February 2010)  
The top United Nations political official arrived in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 9 February for talks with senior
Government officials after wrapping up meetings in Beijing and Seoul.
As the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe left the Chinese capital on 9 February
for comprehensive talks on all issues of mutual interest and concern
with the DPRK during his visit to Pyongyang, slated to run from 8 -12
February.  

While in the DPRK, he met with the UN country team and foreign diplomats,
as well as visited several UN project sites.  

Over the weekend in Seoul, Mr. Pascoe held talks with officials from
the Republic of Korea – including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and
the country's chief negotiator to the Six-Party Talks, which also involved
Japan, China, Russia and the United States – on its relationship with
the UN as well as the DPRK, among other topics.   

Mr. Pascoe also conferred with UN-related civil society leaders, including
former prime minister Han Seung-soo, who is now president of the World
Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA), before travelling to Beijing
for talks with officials from that country.  

In September, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with the DPRK's Vice
Foreign Minister Park Gil Yon at UN Headquarters in New York, where
he discussed the country's nuclear issue along with the humanitarian
and human rights situations.  

In a report to the General Assembly last year, Mr. Ban voiced concern
over the impact of the humanitarian situation on human rights in the
country, where more than one third of the nearly 24 million-strong population
is in need of food assistance.  

The Asian nation's humanitarian problems – including food shortages,
a crumbling health system and lack of access to safe drinking water
– seriously "hamper the fulfilment of human rights of the population,"
he wrote.