A brother of a Japanese citizen abducted by North Korea decades ago has appealed for united international cooperation to resolve the abduction issue.

Masumoto Teruaki spoke at a panel discussion in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He is the younger brother of Masumoto Rumiko, a Japanese woman abducted by Pyongyang in 1978.

He called on people to raise their voices in unison to help dispel the anguish of abductees who have not been repatriated from North Korea.

The Japanese government says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. Five returned to Japan after a bilateral summit in 2002. But the other 12 remain unaccounted for.

The panel discussion was co-hosted by South Korea, Luxembourg and the United States to raise awareness of human rights abuses by North Korea, such as the abductions of Japanese and other nationals.

Panelists included Masumoto and a woman who defected from North Korea. They shared their experiences and sufferings.

One participant sought efforts to bring an early resolution to the abduction issue as relatives of the abductees remaining in North Korea are advanced in age. Only two of the remaining Japanese abductees' parents are alive.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul expressed hope the event would "serve to shed light on the indescribable pain for the victims of human rights violations in North Korea and their families," and to demonstrate "unwavering support" for them.