Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the 31st said she "welcomes" the adoption by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council of the North Korea human rights resolution that Korea joined as a co-sponsoring country.
Ahn said, "This resolution, with 50 countries including the European Union (EU) and Australia participating as co-sponsoring countries, once again confirmed the international community's shared recognition of the gravity of North Korea's human rights issues," adding, "By joining as a co-sponsoring country, our government also made clear its resolve to play a responsible role in improving the human rights of North Korean residents."
Since 2003, the UN has adopted a North Korea human rights resolution every year. Since 2016, it has been adopted by consensus without a vote. This year's resolution expresses serious concern about forced labor inside North Korea and the exploitation of overseas dispatched workers, and recommends that each country conduct human rights due diligence on its corporations.
It also points out human rights violations through digital surveillance in North Korea and the expansion of executions, and demands that the fate and whereabouts of detainees and abductees be disclosed and that they be released immediately.
Ahn, however, said, "We express concern that some core elements were reduced or deleted, such as the call to refrain from sharing information with North Korea to protect North Korean defectors due to the UN's financial constraints, and content from the 2014 report by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on human rights in North Korea that crimes against humanity have been carried out in North Korea."
Ahn continued, "Twelve years have passed since the release of the Commission of Inquiry report, but there has been no substantial improvement in North Korean human rights," adding, "Despite the principle of non-refoulement under international law, some countries have forcibly repatriated North Korean defectors, and oppression is intensifying, with media reports stating that North Korean authorities executed residents for distributing or watching Korean drama."
Ahn added, "The international community should prepare new and effective measures, such as establishing a standing UN-level mechanism for investigation and documentation," and said, "We also ask our society to continue paying attention to the human rights situation of North Korean residents."