U.S. President Joe Biden has appointed a new special envoy for Human Rights to North Korea after no person held the position since 2017 following a decision made by former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Julie Turner, director of the East Asia and Pacific Bureau in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, has been nominated to serve as special envoy for Pyongyang human rights issues, the White House said in a statement.
The position had been vacant since 2017, when Trump sought to force ties with North Korea and the former U.S. leader met up to three times with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Turner, who would have a role with the rank of ambassador to the Asian country, has worked for more than 16 years in the East Asia and Pacific Bureau in positions of increasing responsibility, mainly focused on initiatives related to the promotion of human rights in North Korea. Among other highlights of her resume, she speaks French and Korean.
Now the U.S. Senate must approve her nomination. If it goes through, the diplomat will be confirmed in the post, according to the Biden Administration.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
