Published : Dec. 20, 2017 - 09:29
NEW YORK -- The United Nations on Tuesday adopted a resolution for the 13th consecutive year that condemned human rights abuses by the North Korean regime.
The resolution urges Pyongyang to "immediately put an end" to human rights violations ranging from torture and rape to public executions and forced labor. It is the 13th document of its kind since 2005.
North Korea has bristled at the accusations, calling them a US-led campaign to topple its regime.
Ja Song-nam, the country's ambassador to the UN, was joined by the envoys of China and Russia in expressing opposition to the resolution. Still, the UN General Assembly adopted the document by consensus without a vote.
The UN Third Committee, which oversees humanitarian issues, first adopted the text last month.
(Yonhap)
It places new emphasis on the need to resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and provide assistance to foreign nationals detained in the North. Currently, they are known to include three Americans and six South Koreans.
For the fourth straight year, the resolution also urges the UN Security Council to refer the North Korean leadership to the International Criminal Court.
The text was jointly penned by the European Union and Japan, with contributions from some 60 nations, including South Korea.
South Korea's unification ministry said that it focuses on the UN's expression of concerns over suspension of separated families and the call for taking necessary steps to resolve the issue.
"In particular, it is noteworthy that the resolution calls for consular access and other assistance for detainees in North Korea for the first time," Baik Tae-hyun, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.
"We urge North Korea to take specific and practical measures to improve the human rights of its people in accordance with the UN resolution," he said. (Yonhap)