South Korea, Absence of Co-sponsoring Countries in Draft Resolution on North Korean Human Rights

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] This year, it has been revealed that South Korea is not participating as a co-sponsor in the draft resolution on North Korean human rights to be discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 12th, the European Union (EU) recently submitted a draft resolution on North Korean human rights to the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Voice of America (VOA) reported that 43 countries, including the EU, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia, are listed as co-sponsors of this draft, but South Korea is not among them.

South Korea has participated as a co-sponsor since 2009, but from 2019 onward, considering "various circumstances including the situation on the Korean Peninsula," it has refrained from being listed as a co-sponsor while still supporting the consensus adoption.

This decision reflects consideration of the impact that active participation might have on efforts to engage in dialogue with North Korea for the permanent peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula.

However, even if omitted from the draft, South Korea can still join as a co-sponsor before the resolution is adopted.

The government is reviewing its position on the resolution while exchanging opinions with related countries such as the EU and the United States.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The government’s position on the 46th Human Rights Council North Korean human rights resolution has not yet been decided."

The United States has become a co-sponsor again after three years. The U.S. withdrew from the Human Rights Council in June 2018 during the Donald Trump administration, which showed little interest in human rights issues, and was absent from the North Korean human rights resolutions adopted in 2019 and 2020.

However, the Joe Biden administration, which emphasizes human rights, urged support for the North Korean human rights resolution immediately after returning to the Human Rights Council last month. On the 10th (local time), Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his willingness to appoint a State Department Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, a position that had been vacant since the Trump administration, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

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