[Public Voices] UN Human Rights Diplomacy of a Global Pivot State (GPS)

President Yoon's UN Speech
Must Express Commitment
to Resolving North Korean Human Rights and Abductee Issues

Hee-seok Shin, Legal Analyst at the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)

During the high-level week of the 78th United Nations General Assembly starting on the 19th, speeches and meetings by heads of state and foreign ministers, including President Yoon Suk-yeol, will take place. This year, President Yoon is said to focus on North Korea-Russia military cooperation and the Busan Expo. However, for South Korea to truly emerge as a Global Pivot State (GPS) that realizes 'value diplomacy' on the UN stage, it is also necessary to raise voices on human rights issues, including North Korean human rights.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who visited Korea last May, declared cooperation for the promotion of North Korean human rights as well as security and economic areas in the Korea-Canada joint statement. In particular, in his speech to the National Assembly, he proposed that just as the Korean people chose to fight for democracy during the Gwangju Democratization Movement 43 years ago, Canada and Korea should choose to lead the promotion of North Korean human rights on the world stage.

To be recognized as a GPS, we must talk about 'universal human rights' as well as immediate political and economic issues. Above all, the human rights atrocities of North Korean residents, who assert that they are not 'just anybodies' at the UN, are also connected to security issues that allow the North Korean authorities to invest scarce resources in the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Now is the time for President Yoon to express his will to promote North Korean human rights and resolve the issues of abductees, detainees, and prisoners of war in his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly, as he stated at the April Korea-US and August Korea-US-Japan summits. In addition, with concerns arising about the resumption of forced repatriation of defectors to North Korea in light of North Korea’s border opening and the Hangzhou Asian Games, South Korea should urge China and others to respect the principle of non-refoulement under international law and to grant legal residency status according to refugee recognition procedures.

Japan has mentioned the abduction issue almost every year in its UN General Assembly keynote speeches since North Korea admitted to abducting Japanese citizens at the North Korea-Japan Pyongyang talks in September 2002, except in 2005. Former Prime Minister Noda of the Democratic Party also stated in his 2011-2012 UN General Assembly speeches that "the abduction issue is a universal human rights violation and a major concern of the international community, and Japan will do its utmost to ensure that all victims can return home as soon as possible through strengthened cooperation with other countries."

Not stopping at UN General Assembly speeches, a Korea-US-Japan trilateral North Korean human rights working group could be formed to increase pressure on North Korea at the UN and elsewhere. At the Camp David summit, the three countries announced the establishment of a trilateral working group to respond to North Korean cyber threats.

Of course, raising other international human rights issues alongside North Korea at the UN will also be necessary to gain genuine recognition as a GPS. Moving beyond being satisfied with being a co-sponsor of the UN General Assembly 'North Korean Human Rights Resolution' drafted by the European Union (EU) and others, South Korea could aim to become a major sponsor jointly drafting the resolution with the EU. Just as it became a co-sponsor of the Myanmar human rights resolution for the first time last year, it could also consider becoming a co-sponsor of resolutions on human rights in Crimea under Russian occupation and Syria.

We have a historic mission to realize human rights diplomacy as a GPS. We hope this UN General Assembly will be the opportunity for that.

Shin Hee-seok, Legal Analyst, Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)

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