Third Committee of the UN General Assembly
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NEW YORK/SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) — The Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution on human rights in North Korea for the 19th year in a row amid growing concerns over the safety of North Korean refugees who have been returned to their country from China.
The committee in charge of human rights and social affairs approved by consensus the resolution calling for respect for the international principle of non-refoulement. The resolution will be sent to a plenary session of the General Assembly for approval in December.
The adoption came as Seoul and Washington expressed concerns over continuing reports that hundreds of North Korean defectors in China have been forcibly repatriated amid increased cross-border movements following the full reopening of borders this year. .
Led by the European Union (EU), this year’s resolution highlights “very serious concerns” about these repatriations. The resolution strongly urges all member states to respect the “fundamental principle of non-refoulement, particularly taking into account the resumption of cross-border travel”.
Regarding North Korean asylum seekers, it calls for compliance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, presumably amid ongoing concerns that, once repatriated, North Koreans may face harsh treatment.
Likewise, it encourages the Security Council to take “appropriate” action to ensure accountability, including considering referring the North Korean situation to the International Criminal Court and putting in place new sanctions to effectively target those who seem “the most responsible for human rights violations”.
It also condemns “in the strongest terms, the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and egregious violations” in the North.
At the commission meeting, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN, Kim Song, blasted the resolution when it came up for a vote.
“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) categorically opposes the draft resolution on the human rights situation in the DPRK submitted by the EU as an anti-DPRK political plot,” he asserted in referring to North Korea by its official name.
He also described the resolution as a “fraudulent document of falsehood, fabrication and conspiracy,” while emphasizing that the North has a “people first” policy applied in “all areas of social life.”
Since 2005, the UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution every year condemning the human rights situation in North Korea.
Just like last year, South Korea co-sponsored the latest resolution. Since its launch in May last year, the conservative government of Yoon Suk Yeol has maintained a proactive stance in addressing human rights issues in the North.
(FIN)
2023-11-16 00:59:43
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