UN Resolution on North Korean Human Rights Passed for 16 Consecutive Years

Concerns Over Worsening Humanitarian Situation Due to COVID-19
South Korea Abstains as Co-Proposer... Joins Consensus

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The North Korea human rights resolution was passed at the UN General Assembly for the 16th consecutive year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th (local time), the UN General Assembly held a plenary session and adopted the North Korea human rights resolution condemning North Korea's systematic and widespread human rights violations by consensus (unanimous agreement) without a vote.

This is the seventh time that the North Korea human rights resolution has been adopted by consensus at the UN General Assembly, following 2012-2013 and 2016-2019.

This resolution was jointly proposed by 58 member states including EU countries, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. South Korea participated in the consensus instead of being a co-sponsor starting last year.

Led by the European Union (EU) member states, this resolution largely reflected the wording of previous resolutions almost verbatim, adding concerns about the humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution pointed out North Korea's ▲ torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention ▲ political prison camps ▲ systematic abductions ▲ treatment of repatriated defectors ▲ restrictions on freedom of religion, expression, and assembly, stating that it "strongly condemns the systematic and widespread human rights violations that have been occurring from long ago until now in the strongest terms."

The resolution also recommended that the UN Security Council take appropriate measures such as referring the North Korean human rights situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and "considering additional sanctions targeting those most responsible." The phrase "those most responsible" is interpreted as referring to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.

This year's resolution also included concerns about the deterioration of human rights conditions due to COVID-19. It stated, "It expresses deep concern about the precarious humanitarian situation in North Korea, which could rapidly worsen due to limited capacity to respond to health crises such as COVID-19 and natural disasters."

There was no specific mention of the shooting incident involving a government official that occurred in the West Sea in September. However, the phrase "welcomes the recent report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" was explicitly included.

Kim Sung, North Korea's ambassador to the UN, said regarding the passage of the resolution, "It is a strategic and serious provocation against us," and "We firmly oppose it."

Ambassador Kim claimed, "All contents of the resolution are maliciously fabricated information concocted by trash-like defectors," and "It is nothing but an attack tool exploited by hostile countries as a pretext for so-called 'regime change.'"

He retorted to the EU, which led the resolution, saying, "If you think a strategic human rights resolution will shake us, that is a serious misjudgment," and told them to mind their own human rights violations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.