The UN has adopted a North Korean human rights resolution that condemns human rights abuses in North Korea and calls for improvement. North Korea has pointed out widespread human rights violations and said it firmly opposes the resolution, which concerns the deterioration of the human rights situation due to the coronavirus. This is Taek-Sung Oh.
UN General Assembly Chairman Volkan Bozkir declared the adoption of a North Korean human rights resolution at a plenary session held on the 16th.
[녹취: 보즈키르 의장] “We first turn to draft resolution one entitled ‘Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’. The third committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. And I take it that the assembly wishes to do the same. It is so decided”
Mr. Bozkir said earlier that the third committee adopted the resolution without vote, and that the plenary session was passed in the same way.
As a result, the North Korean Human Rights Resolution was adopted at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly for 16 consecutive years since 2005.
In particular, from 2016 to this year, it was adopted as a consensus method without voting for 5 consecutive years.
This year’s North Korean human rights resolution was prepared by the European Union, and 58 countries including the United States, Britain, Japan, and Sweden participated as joint proposals.
The resolution pointed to a wide range of human rights issues in North Korea, including torture and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, political prison camps and organized kidnapping, and restrictions on freedom of religious expression and assembly.
In particular, there were serious concerns about the adverse effects of the novel coronavirus infection and the deteriorating human rights situation in North Korea.
The resolution pointed out that all restrictive measures for responding to the coronavirus must comply with international laws such as international human rights law and related resolutions of the Security Council, and should be taken proportional and non-discriminatory to the extent necessary.
He then urged the North Korean authorities to take preventive and remedial measures in response to the coronavirus, and urged international humanitarian organizations to cooperate so that they can access the vulnerable and carry out support and monitoring activities that meet international standards.
It also recommended that the UN Security Council consider appropriate measures such as referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the human rights situation in North Korea and “consideration of additional sanctions against the most responsible”.
Jennifer Barber, special adviser of the United States delegation to the United Nations, said that when the 3rd committee adopted the North Korean Human Rights Resolution last month, the international community should make it clear that the North Korean authorities should stop human rights violations and abuses through this resolution and hold the relevant parties accountable He emphasized that he delivered the message.
[녹취: 바버 특별고문(지난 11월)] “With passage of this resolution, the international community once again sends a clear message to the DPRK regime that human rights violations and abuses must stop and those responsible held to account.”
Meanwhile, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Seong revolted that he adamantly opposed the resolution, arguing that the EU-led resolution provokes North Korea with a political motive.
[녹취: 김성 대사] “All material contained in draft resolution are most despicably fabricated information by Riff-Raff defectors.”
All the contents of the resolution are maliciously fabricated information produced by North Korean defectors such as’human waste’.
Ambassador Kim argued that the hostile forces were merely exploiting so-called’regime change’ as an excuse.
On that day, some countries, such as China and Iran, criticized politicization, selectivity, and double standards, and announced that they did not participate in adopting the resolution through consensus.
This is Taekseong Oh, VOA News.
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