A/HRC/28/71 human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, enhancing the engagement and capacity-building of various stakeholders and maintaining the visibility of the situation. The Special Rapporteur welcomes all the efforts made by the Office and partners towards the establishment of the structure. At the time of preparation of the present report, the Office is finalizing administrative matters pertaining to the establishment of the field-based structure with the Government of the Republic of Korea. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the progress made on this initiative, and looks forward to collaborating with the field-based structure in the very near future. 28. The Special Rapporteur was pleased to hear during his meetings with officials and civil society in both the Republic of Korea and Japan about their eagerness to collaborate with the field-based structure. He again calls upon all stakeholders to extend their full cooperation to the structure in the accomplishment of its important work. In addition, he encourages the Human Rights Council to fully support the structure and ensure that it can fulfil its challenging mandate adequately. III. Strategy on addressing the issue of international abductions, enforced disappearances and related matters A. Background 29. The commission of inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, following a thorough and careful investigation, found that “since 1950, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has engaged in the systematic abduction, denial of repatriation and subsequent enforced disappearance of persons from other countries on a large scale and as a matter of State policy”. 8 30. The commission of inquiry estimated that well over 200,000 persons, including children, had been taken from other countries to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and that many had never been heard of again. This figure included mostly those who had left for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the context of the Korean War. 9 However, agents of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had abducted and disappeared hundreds of nationals from Japan, the Republic of Korea and other countries between the 1960s and 1980s.10 Since the 1990s, they are believed to have abducted several individuals from Chinese territory, including nationals of China and the Republic of Korea and a former Japanese national.11 In addition to victims from China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the commission of inquiry recorded cases of abductions and enforced disappearances of nationals of Lebanon, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Thailand and possibly other countries.12 31. The commission of inquiry found that such violations amounted to crimes against humanity under international criminal law. 13 It also found that those cases constituted 8 9 10 11 12 13 8 Ibid., para. 64. Ibid. Ibid., para. 66. Ibid., para. 72. The commission of inquiry considered it possible that other foreigners, especially foreign women, from France, Italy, the Netherlands and other unspecified European countries, and the Middle East, were among the abductees (see Report of the detailed findings of the commission of inquiry (A/HRC/25/CPR.1), para. 975. A/HRC/25/63, paras. 76 and 79.