The Seoul city government is set to host a forum on North Korea's human rights Thursday to raise awareness of the situation and discuss ways to improve it with the international community. The "Seoul Forum on North Korean Human Rights 2024" will open at Seoul City Hall at 2 p.m., city officials said, marking the first time such a forum has been hosted outside of the central government or academia. The forum comes as this year marks the 10-year anniversary of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) issuing a report on North Korean human rights and the government designating July 14 as the day for North Korean defectors, city officials said. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will kick off the event with a keynote address, in which he will vow to create an environment where the nearly 6,400 North Korean defectors residing in the city can enjoy their human rights and hope for a joyful future. It will be followed by a congratulatory address by former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho. The first session of the forum, chaired by Lee Shin-wha, the South Korean special envoy for North Korean human rights, will discuss the reality of the human rights issue in the North and ways to achieve international cooperation with panelists like Julie Turner, the U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights, and the U.N. special rapporteur Elizabeth Salmon. The second part of the forum will be held under the theme "Journey for freedom, going together with North Korean defectors" and be led by Nam Sung-wook, the director of the Convergence Institute for National Unification at Korea University. The forum will be aired live on the city's official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@seoullive. Source: Yonhap News Agency