Korea-US-Japan Request 'North Korea Human Rights Meeting' at UN Security Council... First in 6 Years if Held

The Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan have jointly requested the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold a meeting on North Korean human rights issues on the 17th of this month (local time). If held, it will be the first such meeting in about six years since 2017. This is interpreted as a signal that trilateral cooperation among the ROK, the US, and Japan is becoming more active within the Security Council.

Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk, South Korean Permanent Representative to the UN (left in photo), Ambassador Ferit Hoxha of Albania, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of the United States, and Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro of Japan are holding a brief press conference on the 10th (local time) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN and the rotating president of the Security Council this month, told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York on the morning of the 10th, "We have requested a Security Council meeting with the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Albania regarding North Korea's human rights abuses and violations," adding, "This will be the first open meeting on North Korea's human rights situation since 2017." Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield's brief press conference was also attended by Hwang Joon-kook, the ROK Ambassador to the UN, and Kimihiro Ishikane, the Japanese Ambassador.

The requested date for the Security Council meeting on North Korean human rights, signed by the ROK, the US, Japan, and Albania, is the 17th of this month. This is one day before the trilateral summit of the ROK, the US, and Japan to be held at Camp David in the United States. Volker T?rk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Elizabeth Salm?n, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, are scheduled to provide briefings on North Korean human rights issues.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield stated, "Protecting people worldwide is an essential part of the UN Charter and a key responsibility of the Security Council," adding, "the issue of human rights abuses in North Korea is closely linked to international peace and security." She also said, "We know that the North Korean regime's human rights abuses and violations promote the development of illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," urging, "The Security Council must address the fear caused by the Kim Jong-un regime's daily human rights abuses and crimes against the people of North Korea and other UN member states, including Japan and the Republic of Korea."

Previously, the Security Council held North Korean human rights meetings for four consecutive years from 2014 to 2017, but no meetings have been held since the December 2017 session. Prior to the December 2017 meeting, China and Russia opposed addressing individual countries' human rights issues in the Security Council, arguing it was inappropriate and would escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It is highly likely that China and Russia will express opposition again this time.

Accordingly, it is expected that a procedural vote will determine whether the meeting will be held. In a procedural vote, without the veto power of permanent members, if nine or more of the 15 Security Council members vote in favor, the agenda is adopted. In the December 2017 procedural vote, 10 of the 15 Security Council members voted in favor, while China, Russia, and Bolivia opposed. The Republic of Korea's non-permanent membership term on the Security Council begins in January 2024, but from this month, five months prior, it is included in the document distribution network for Security Council members. From October, it will be able to attend all meetings as a provisional member.

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