Seoul: International attention to North Korea's human rights abuses has had a perceptible effect in raising awareness of human rights among the country's general public, a former North Korean diplomat said Tuesday, calling for sustained global efforts on the issue. Ri Il-gyu, a former counselor for political affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Cuba who defected to South Korea last year, made the point during a discussion at the 2024 Global Dialogue on Korean Peninsula Unification, co-hosted by the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council and Yonhap News Agency. According to Yonhap News Agency, Ri highlighted significant changes in North Korea's human rights situation since the 1990s, attributing this to international efforts and the inflow of outside information. He noted that before this period, the term 'human rights' was unfamiliar to North Koreans, but now it is commonly recognized, with some citizens even questioning actions as potential human rights violations. Ri further explained that since 1995, th e North Korean regime has altered its stance on human rights issues under international pressure. However, he emphasized that these changes are superficial and primarily serve as a strategy to deflect criticism and pressure from the global community. He insisted on the necessity of continuing to send propaganda leaflets into North Korea and engaging with North Koreans overseas to foster further awareness and change.