On Friday, December 11, seven members of the UN Security Council brought up the issue of human rights abuses in North Korea. In a closed virtual meeting, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Estonia, the United States, and the Dominican Republic raised the issue while China and Russia objected to public briefing. Members who raised the issue cited the North Korean government’s use of the COVID-19 pandemic to further deprive citizens of human rights. The members also criticized the North Korean government’s diversion of resources away from its citizens to support ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
The United Nations Security Council held formal meetings on the human rights situation in North Korea in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, but did not hold meetings in 2018 or 2019. With the publication of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry report on human rights issues in North Korean in 2014, the human rights situation in North Korea garnered a great deal of international attention. However, since the report’s publication international attention and interest has been gradually dying down.
Although human rights is not the main focus of the UN Security Council, promoting human rights is one of the main priorities of the UN and we at PSCORE greatly appreciate the seven members’ participation in Friday’s meeting and their efforts toward improving human rights conditions in North Korea. We hope that the human rights situation in North Korea will maintain steady international attention in the future.
More about the topic here: UN Adopts N. Korea Human Rights Resolution for 16th Straight Year l KBS WORLD Radio
If you want to support us and our work donate here: Fund for North Korean Refugees – North Korea – Human Rights – PSCORE