A/HRC/25/CRP.1 fabricated.12 The Commission repeatedly invited the DPRK to adduce proof of its claims, but received no reply. It also put these claims to witnesses so that they could respond in their own words. Video recordings and transcripts from all public hearings are available on the Commission’s website.13 The Commission has encouraged members of the public to study the recordings and transcripts in order to form their own opinions of the reliability and consistency of the witness testimony. 2. Confidential interviews 34. Many victims and witnesses who fled the DPRK were prepared to share relevant information, but would not do so publicly as they feared reprisals against family members who still remain in the DPRK. Persons who previously served in an official capacity in the DPRK were often particularly reluctant to be seen to cooperate publicly with the Commission. Some experts on the situation in the DPRK also preferred to be interviewed confidentially in order to preserve space for their direct engagement with the DPRK. 35. The Commission and its Secretariat conducted over 240 confidential interviews with individual witnesses. These interviews were conducted during visits to Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, London, and Washington, D.C. and through videoconferences and telephone calls. 36. Excerpts from these interviews are included in the report. In many instances, information on the exact place and time of violations and other details that might identify the witness has been withheld due to protection concerns. 3. Call for submissions and review of other written materials 37. In July 2013, the Commission addressed a call for written submissions to all United Nations Member States and relevant stakeholders. All interested states, persons or organizations were invited to share relevant information and documentation, which could be of assistance to the Commission in the discharge of its mandate. As of 3 November 2013, the deadline for sharing information and material with the Commission, 80 such submissions were recorded. Exceptionally, a small number of submissions received after the deadline were admitted. Additionally, a very large volume of correspondence was received by the Commission and the Commission’s members. 38. The Commission obtained and reviewed a wealth of other reports and written materials prepared by the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, governments, research institutes and academics. While the findings in this report rely primarily on firsthand testimony from victims and witnesses, the written record has provided invaluable context and a source of corroboration. Many reports and documents were tendered by witnesses at the public hearings. They were all recorded as exhibits and are part of the record of those hearings. 4. Engagement with other states 39. The Commission visited the Republic of Korea from 19 to 27 August 2013. In addition to the public hearing held in Seoul, the Commission met the Prime Minister of the 12 13 See “KCNA Commentary Slams S. Korean Authorities for Chilling Atmosphere of Dialogue”, KCNA, 27 August 2013. Available from http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2013/201308/news27/2013082714ee.html. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – Public Hearings”. Available from http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIDPRK/Pages/PublicHearings.aspx. 11