UN Adopts North Korea Human Rights Resolution... US Returns as Joint Sponsor, South Korea Excluded

by Paek Jongmin

Published 24 Mar.2021 03:08(KST)

Updated 24 Mar.2021 04:00(KST)

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19 Years of Consecutive Resolutions... Participation in Korean Consensus

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The United Nations has adopted the North Korea human rights resolution for the 19th consecutive year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The UN Human Rights Council, composed of 47 member states, adopted the North Korea human rights resolution by consensus without a vote at the 46th session held on the 23rd (local time) at the UN Geneva office.

The North Korea human rights resolution was first adopted in 2003 by the former UN Commission on Human Rights, the predecessor of the Human Rights Council, and has been adopted for 19 consecutive years up to this year.

The resolution strongly condemns "the institutionalized, widespread, and serious human rights violations that have long been committed and continue to be committed in North Korea."

It also includes a call for North Korea to cooperate with the UN and the international community regarding its response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). For the first time, concerns about human rights violations against South Korean war prisoners and their descendants were also included.

South Korea was excluded from the list of co-sponsors of this resolution. This is the third time following 2019 and 2020 after the North Korea-US summit and inter-Korean summits. However, South Korea participated in the consensus for the adoption of the resolution.

The United States returned as a co-sponsor after three years since the change of administration. The US withdrew from the Human Rights Council in June 2018 during the Donald Trump administration but returned after the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration, urging support for the North Korea human rights resolution.