Biden nominates new special envoy for N. Korean human rights

National flags of North Korea are lowered to half mast to mark the eleventh anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang, Dec. 17, 2022. AFP-Yonhap

U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated a State Department official as a new special envoy for North Korean human rights, the White House said Monday.

Julie Turner, director of East Asia and the Pacific at the department's bureau of democracy, human rights and labor, is the nominee.

"Turner has served more than 16 years in the Office of East Asia and the Pacific, in positions of increasing responsibility, primarily focused on initiatives related to promoting human rights in North Korea, including a tour as special assistant in the Office of the Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues," the White House said in a press release.

Foreign ministry welcomes nomination of new US special envoy for NK human rights 2023-01-24 14:09  |  North Korea
If confirmed, Turner will serve with the rank of ambassador, it added.

She will also be the first serve in the post since early 2017 if appointed.

Turner earned her master's degree at the University of Maryland at College Park, and speaks French and Korean, according to the White House. (Yonhap)