Seoul: A North Korean defector residing in South Korea intends to initiate legal proceedings against Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, for human rights violations, as disclosed by a civic group. The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) announced plans to file both a civil lawsuit and a criminal complaint on behalf of Choi Min-kyung later this week.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the NKDB will submit the civil suit to the Seoul Central District Court and the criminal complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Friday. Choi Min-kyung, who escaped from North Korea to China in 1997, faced forced repatriation in 2008. Upon her return, she reported enduring human rights abuses, including sexual abuse, physical violence, and torture, at a detention facility in North Korea's northeastern county of Onsong.

Choi's legal action targets Kim Jong-un and four additional individuals, including officials from the ministry of state security, citing violations of international criminal law. Choi expressed her hope that this legal action would draw attention to the human rights issues in North Korea both within South Korea and on the international stage.

The NKDB highlighted the significance of this legal move, noting it as the first lawsuit initiated by a North Korean-born victim of human rights abuses. Furthermore, the organization intends to pursue further actions with the U.N. human rights body and the International Criminal Court. Choi, who eventually fled to South Korea, now leads a group representing family members of those detained in North Korea.