US envoy calls on UNSC to address N. Korean human rights issues

"I believe the time has come for the UNSC to clarify the relations between human rights and security," she was quoted by the Washington-based Voice of America, as saying during a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations held in the United States on Wednesday.

"UNSC members should start discussing the matter, which is the right thing to do," she added.

The ambassador said the North Korean regime is forcing the country's political prisoners into hard work in coal mines in order to secure funds needed for its nuclear program, she said.

"Those who have come under humiliation and mistreatment get to depend on violence, while those who have been stripped of humanity and dignity want their revenge without exception," she added.

The report said the US will chair the UNSC for one month in April, and Ambassador Haley will be serving as the chairwoman. (Yonhap)