A/HRC/25/CRP.1 Republic of Korea, government officials from various ministries, local and international non-governmental and civil society organizations, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the Korea Institute for National Unification. 40. The Commission visited Japan from 27 August to 1 September 2013. In addition to the public hearing held in Tokyo, the Commission met the Prime Minister of Japan, government officials from various ministries, and local and international non-governmental and civil society organizations. 41. The Commission visited Thailand from 18 to 20 September 2013. During this visit, the Commission met officials of the Royal Thai Government including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, representatives of international agencies, and local and international non-governmental and civil society organizations. The Commissioners conducted a confidential interview with the family of a suspected case of international abduction by the DPRK. 42. The Commission visited the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 23 to 25 October 2013. In addition to public hearing held in London, the Commission met the Minister of State responsible for the Far East and South East Asia of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, various government officials, non-governmental and civil society organizations. 43. The Commission visited the United States of America from 28 October to 1 November 2013. In addition to the public hearing held in Washington D.C., the Commission met officials of the United States Department of State, the chairperson and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, various government officials, experts, and non-governmental and civil society organizations. 44. Visits of the Commission to the respective countries were preceded by the deployment of the members of the Commission’s Secretariat to make preparations for the public hearings, meet with relevant partners and conduct confidential interviews in different locations in the country in the course of the Commission’s work. The Secretariat staff made an additional visit to Seoul at the end of October 2013 for three weeks to conduct additional confidential interviews and to carry out other follow-up action to the public hearings held in August 2013. 45. From its first working meeting in July 2013, the Commission sought access to the territory of the People’s Republic of China to conduct relevant inquiries and to consult with the authorities about the implementation of its mandate. Specifically, the Commission asked for access to the areas of the country bordering the DPRK, in order to obtain firsthand information about the situation of persons who fled the DPRK. Additionally, the Commission asked to meet Chinese experts on the DPRK to inform its investigations. After a series of informal meetings with diplomats of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office in Geneva, the Commission transmitted a formal request to the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China on 7 November 2013 for an invitation to visit China. In the letter, the Commission requested agreement to a visit to Beijing in order to meet relevant officials and experts and to the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in order to interview DPRK nationals in holding centres and other places of detention as well as representatives of churches and other organizations who are involved in caring for DPRK nationals in China. The letter highlighted the alleged trafficking of women from the DPRK to China and the status of children of North Korean mothers and Chinese fathers as issues of prime concern for the Commission in China. On 20 November 2013, the Permanent Mission informed the Secretariat that, given China’s position on country-specific mandates, especially on the Korean peninsula, it would not be possible to extend an invitation to the Commission. In a follow-up letter, the Commission requested the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China in Geneva to provide 12