UN Blasts Kim Jong Un: Continues to Pressure on North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses

Lee Shin-wha, the South Korean Ambassador for International Human Rights Cooperation (right), and Julie Turner, the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, spoke at a press conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C., U.S., on the 8th (local time). /Photo by Haman Joo, Washington Correspondent

The United Nations’ Third Committee has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s systematic and widespread human rights abuses. This marks the 19th consecutive year since 2005 the resolution was adopted.

The Third Committee of the UN, which is in charge of human rights issues, held a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, U.S., on the 15th (local time) and passed the North Korean human rights resolution by consensus without a vote. The resolution is set to be submitted to the UN General Assembly plenary session next month.

The resolution enumerates political prison camps and human rights abuses against women, children, and people with disabilities in North Korea and “condemns in the strongest terms the systematic and widespread human rights abuses” by North Korea.

Focus on Forced Repatriation

While this year’s resolution contains mainly the same content as last year’s, it includes the recent addition of the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China. The resolution “strongly urges all Member States to respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement,” especially considering the resumption of cross-border movements with North Korea.

The European Union (EU), which leads the drafting of the North Korean human rights resolution every year, has been consulting with key countries, including South Korea, on issues such as forced repatriation. South Korea actively participated in the drafting process as a co-sponsor of the resolution this year, as it did last year.

Call for China’s Compliance

The resolution effectively targets the Chinese government regarding North Korean defectors, urging it to comply with the UN Convention Against Torture. China joined the Convention Against Torture in 1988 but did not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees, instead classifying them as illegal immigrants.

The UN Convention Against Torture stipulates that “No State Party shall expel, return, or extradite a person to another State if there are substantial grounds to believe that he would face the danger of being subjected to torture.”

Moreover, the resolution recommends the UN Security Council consider referring North Korea’s human rights situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and considering additional sanctions targeting “those most responsible for human rights abuses.” This statement, which appears to target North Korean leaders, including Kim Jong-un, has been included in the resolution for ten consecutive years since 2014.

By. Ha Man Joo