Government "Welcomes UN Adoption of North Korea Human Rights Resolution"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Statement: "Welcome Adoption of North Korea Human Rights Resolution by Consensus with 63 Joint Sponsors"
South Korean Government Participates in EU-Led Resolution, Reflects Our Position in Drafting Consultations

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The government welcomed the adoption of the North Korean human rights resolution by the UN General Assembly's human rights committee on the 17th.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a spokesperson's comment that "the North Korean human rights resolution was adopted by consensus again this year in the Third Committee (Human Rights) of the UN General Assembly, with 63 countries including our country participating as co-sponsors."

Regarding this year's resolution, the government said, "We note the call to North Korea to disclose all relevant information to bereaved families and related organizations concerning human rights violations against foreign nationals."

It also explained, "This resolution includes provisions that North Korean residents being repatriated to North Korea should not be subject to enforced disappearance, arbitrary execution, torture, mistreatment, or human rights violations inconsistent with international norms."

Furthermore, it added, "We deeply regret the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in North Korea due to COVID-19 response measures as mentioned in the resolution, and urge North Korea to immediately take effective measures to improve the human rights and humanitarian conditions of its residents in accordance with the recommendations of the UN General Assembly resolution."

The resolution contains language emphasizing serious concern over reports of inhumane treatment and summary executions of foreign nationals inside and outside North Korean territory, and calls for providing all relevant information to bereaved families and related organizations.

This wording can be interpreted as related to the West Sea public official killing incident. The provision that North Korean residents repatriated should not be subjected to arbitrary execution or mistreatment can be applied to the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen.

It is reported that the Korean government's opinions were reflected during the negotiation process of these provisions.

The Korean government did not participate as a co-sponsor of the UN North Korean human rights resolution from 2019 until last year, considering the impact on inter-Korean relations.

However, with the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which emphasizes international public discourse on North Korean human rights, the government returned as a co-sponsor this year and actively participated in the EU-led negotiation of the resolution's wording.

This year's co-sponsors of the resolution were 46 countries immediately after the resolution was made public earlier this month, but increased to 63 countries at the time of the vote. The resolution will proceed to final adoption at the UN General Assembly plenary session next month.

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