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WASHINGTON — Under pressure from political conservatives, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea agreed Thursday to step up the Bush administration’s emphasis on human- rights issues during nuclear weapons talks, but he stopped short of saying an improved record would be a precondition of normalized relations.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told a Senate committee that North Korea’s rights record was “abysmal.” He promised that from now on, the country’s treatment of its citizens would be a formal part of discussions between the U.S. and North Korea.
