UN committee adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year

A UN General Assembly committee on Wednesday passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th consecutive year, calling for the UN system to address the North's "grave" situation "in a coordinated and unified manner."

The Third Committee handling human rights and social affairs adopted by consensus the resolution, which expressed concerns over the North's declaration not to pursue reunification with South Korea and called for repealing practices and laws that suppress people's freedom of thought, expression, and religion.

The adoption came as Seoul and Washington emphasized the importance of improving the North's human rights environment, arguing that a repressive political climate has enabled the regime to continue pushing its weapons programs without public accountability.

"Noting with concern the possible negative impact on the human rights situation, including that of separated families, following the announcement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in January 2024 that it would no longer pursue reunification with the Republic of Korea (ROK)," the resolution read.

ROK and DPRK refer to the official names of South Korea and North Korea, respectively.

It is the first time the annually adopted resolution has mentioned the North's public renouncement of reunification as a policy goal.

The resolution highlighted "all-pervasive and severe restrictions," including an "absolute monopoly" on information and total control over organized social life, further tightened by newly enacted laws, such as the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture and the Youth Education Guarantee Law.

"(It urges the North) to ensure the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief and the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and association, both online and offline, including by permitting the establishment of independent newspapers and other media and repealing or reforming all practices and laws suppressing the aforementioned rights," the resolution reads.

It stressed that the North Korean government funds its "unlawful" nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs through human rights violations, such as forced labor.

Moreover, it expressed concern over a "disproportionate" allocation of the North's state budget to military spending, leading to failures in respecting, protecting, and fulfilling basic human rights, including the right to adequate food.

The resolution called for the "immediate" return of all abductees from South Korea and Japan and requested a high-level plenary meeting featuring testimony by civil society representatives and other experts to address human rights abuses in the North.

South Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Kim Sang-jin, urged Pyongyang to heed the General Assembly's concerns and calls for improvement.

"It is with a heavy heart, however, that there has been no improvement, but rather deterioration in North Korea's systematic, widespread, and gross human rights violations, which amount to crimes against humanity, according to the 2014 COI report," Kim said, referring to the Commission of Inquiry report on Pyongyang's abuses.

In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry welcomed the adoption of the resolution.

"As this year marks the 10th year since the UN COI report was published, we take note of the fact that through this resolution, the international community expressed concerns over the serious human rights situation in North Korea and sent a consistent and unified message calling for the North's action to improve the situation," the ministry said.

It vowed to make multi-faceted efforts to address the North's human rights issues, emphasizing their importance as a "crucial foundation" for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.

As anticipated, North Korean Ambassador to the UN Kim Song rejected the resolution, calling it a "document of a political plot fabricated for the ulterior purpose of defaming the dignity of the DPRK."

"The anti-DPRK draft resolution of human rights, tabled by the European Union every year at the instigation of the United States, is a false paper worthy of no deliberation at all as it is full of fabrication and falsehood," he said. "The so-called human rights issue cannot exist in our country."

The resolution will be sent to a full General Assembly session for approval in December.

The committee has adopted the resolution annually since 2005 to highlight human rights violations in North Korea and reinforce international calls for Pyongyang to address the issue. (Yonhap)