[JURIST] In an effort to highlight human rights abuses in certain countries, President Bush has begun meeting with dissidents in an approach similar to the one taken by former President Ronald Reagan in his meetings with Soviet dissidents during the Cold War. Earlier this week Bush met with North Korean defector Kang Chol Hwan, who recently published a book recounting his ten-year ordeal in a North Korean prison [NBC interview]. Bush has acknowledged that such meetings are sure to further strain relations with countries like North Korea, a country the US has been trying to persuade to curtail its nuclear program [JURIST report] but groups like Freedom House [advocacy website], which works for liberty worldwide, have applauded the President's method. Kang is reported to have told Bush in the meeting that "for North Koreans human rights issues are more desperate than nuclear issues." The Washington Post has more.