National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea Conditions" as one of its 6 priority projects for 2008. Particularly in 2010, the Commission formed a new "North Korean Human Rights Team" to carry out activities related to North Korean human rights in a systematic and comprehensive manner. The Commission designated the promotion of North Korean human rights issues as its special project in 2009 and has carried out the project so far. Human rights conditions in North Korea has remained unchanged since the accession of Kim, Jong-un to power. Contrary to the expectation, the number of North Korean defectors who enter Korea has rapidly decreased due to the strengthened control and surveillance. In Korea, interest in and discussions on the human rights in North Korea has become more active than the past. For example, the 19th National Assembly proposed five bills on North Korean human rights and two bills on North Korean human and economic rights (bills on the promotion of human rights of North Korean residents). On international scene, international reaction to North Korean human rights has taken specific form in 2013. The 22nd Meeting of the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on North Korean human rights by consensus, and the UN Commission on Inquiry (COI) was formed to conduct investigations actively on the human rights in North Korea. In May 2013, North Korean young defectors in Lao People’s Democratic Republic was forcefully repatriated. This caused escalated concern over the human rights of North Korea, and clearly showed the necessity of international cooperation. Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws and Regulations, Institution, Policies, and Practices ▪▪▪ 75