Human rights issues should become one of the main topics of the talks between Washington and Pyongyang. 

Tomás Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, has made such a statement.

He called on North Korean authorities to start—ahead of the Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un—releasing political prisoners, whose number, according to the UN expert, is more than 80 thousand.

Also, Quintana welcomed last month’s release of three US nationals by North Korea, saying the move was “another important building block for the prospects of peace” for the two Koreas and beyond.

At the same time, however, he urged not to forget about the political prisoners who are still in North Korean prisons.