The mother of Megumi Yokota, kidnapped in 1977 by North Korean agents, on Sunday urged the international community to take Pyongyang’s human rights issues seriously and act to save people in North Korea, including Megumi.

“Forty years have passed since my precious daughter Megumi was suddenly abducted at age 13 by North Korean agents, and yet she cannot return no matter how hard we have made desperate efforts to rescue her,” Sakie Yokota, the mother of Megumi, said in an interview with NK News.