Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations' new special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, said he will look into a recent series of defections by high-ranking North Korean officials.

The comments by Quintana, an Argentine lawyer who was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in July to replace Marzuki Darusman, were made during a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency.

The recent series of high-profile defections by North Korea's elites to South Korea includes Thae Yong-ho, the No. 2 man at the North Korean Embassy in London.

"If these people had to leave because they were facing human rights abuses, it is my concern. This is something I will need to check out. ... That's my job," Quintana said.

During his term, which he said may last six years, the rapporteur will also increase efforts to have dialogue with North Korea, as well as its neighboring countries, in order to better understand the country's human rights situation.

"That is needed to increase measures toward dialogue. It seems that what's lacking at the moment is dialogue," he noted.

"I am of course completely aware of the difficulties in establishing dialogue with the authorities of DPRK ... but I think they are still needed, and there are countries who have important roles to play in this respect," he said, apparently alluding to China's role in arranging dialogue with the reclusive North. The DPRK is the acronym of the North's official name: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"It will be very important to hear, to listen to what are the thoughts, arguments and understanding of the government of the DPRK," he noted.

But so far, his chance for North Korean trips seems slim, he admitted.

"At this stage, I can officially confirm that I have the intention to visit North Korea, but at the moment, there is no possibility to do that," according to the UN official.

Still, the special rapporteur is planning to visit the Northeast Asian region in November to reach out to North Korean refugees and other informants as part of his efforts to get first-hand information on the human rights issues pertaining to North Korea, he added. (Yonhap)