Government Raises 'Talbuk Women' Human Rights Issue for First Time in UN Security Council Open Debate

UN Security Council Open Debate, Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk Mentions North Korean Human Rights
Focus on Hardships of Defector Women, Reaffirmation of Principle to Prohibit Forced Repatriation of Defectors

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The government raised the human rights issues of North Korean women defectors for the first time during an open debate at the United Nations Security Council.

Not only the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, which is responsible for human rights, but also the Security Council, the key decision-making body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, brought up North Korean human rights twice in one day.

Hwang Jun-guk, South Korea's Ambassador to the UN, stated in his speech at the Security Council meeting held on the 20th (local time) at the UN Headquarters in New York, themed "Women, Peace, and Security," "I hope this opportunity will draw attention to the numerous hardships faced by women who have escaped from North Korea."

Ambassador Hwang reminded that 72% of the approximately 34,000 North Korean defectors who arrived in South Korea since the 1990s are women.

He criticized, "It is horrific and heartbreaking that many of them can only come to South Korea after enduring years of detention, human trafficking, repatriation, torture, and cruel punishments including subsequent retaliatory measures."

He added, "I would like to remind that the principle of non-refoulement should equally apply to North Korean defectors in neighboring countries."

Ambassador Hwang introduced the South Korean government's efforts to support the settlement and self-reliance of North Korean women defectors. He emphasized, "As a country facing significant challenges in building peace on the Korean Peninsula and as a candidate for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2024?2025, South Korea reaffirms its commitment to implementing the agenda of women, peace, and security both domestically and internationally."

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN reported that this speech was the first case of raising the human rights issues of North Korean women defectors during an open debate at the UN Security Council, where all member states wishing to speak can do so.

Earlier in the morning, at the Third Committee meeting, Ambassador Hwang pointed out, "With strengthened quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the human rights and humanitarian situation in North Korea has further deteriorated."

Ambassador Hwang referred to the report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which calls for referring human rights-related crimes committed by North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international judicial systems, urging the international community to pay active attention to North Korea's human rights situation.

Ambassador Hwang's consecutive public remarks on North Korean human rights issues that day are notable in connection with South Korea's recent participation in the consultation process for the UN North Korea Human Rights Resolution.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the final position on whether to participate as a co-sponsor of the North Korea Human Rights Resolution has not yet been decided, but considering the government's policy emphasizing value diplomacy, participation as a co-sponsor seems highly likely.

South Korea participated as a co-sponsor of the North Korea Human Rights Resolution from 2008 to 2018 but did not participate from 2019 to last year, considering the potential impact on inter-Korean relations.

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