UN rights official slams N. Korea over killing of S. Korean at sea

Published : Oct 24, 2020 - 14:40 Updated : Oct 25, 2020 - 09:19

(Yonhap)

A UN human rights official has denounced North Korea's killing of a South Korean official last month as a violation of international human rights law during a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, raised the issue at the UN committee on social, humanitarian and cultural issues on Friday (local time).

The 47-year-old fisheries official was fatally shot by the North Korean military on Sept. 22 while adrift in its waters. The North has apologized but has yet to respond to Seoul's call for a joint probe.

In his report, Quintana said North Korea broke the international human rights law with the unlawful and arbitrary killing of a civilian who was not exhibiting any imminent threat.

He urged the North to change its policy that allows its soldiers to shoot at intruders of its borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Quintana also called for the international community to urgently consider lifting the sanctions on Pyongyang, citing the devastating impact on its trade and food security from the coronavirus outbreak. (Yonhap)