The United Nations Security Council will meet publicly to discuss human rights abuses in North Korea next week, a move requested by the United States, Albania and Japan that is likely to anger Pyongyang and face opposition from China and Russia.
It will be the first formal public meeting of the 15-member council on the issue since 2017.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Since 2006 it has been under U.N. sanctions over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs, but there are aid exemptions.
"It is long overdue," said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reading a joint statement by the United States, Albania, Japan and South Korea.
"We know the government's human rights abuses and violations facilitate the advancement of its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” she said.
The council would meet on Aug. 17 and be briefed by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK, Elizabeth Salmón, said Thomas-Greenfield.
China and Russia object to the issue being raised in the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. They say rights issues should be confined to other bodies such as the U.N. Human Rights Council or General Assembly.
China and Russia could call a procedural vote next week, but a senior U.S. official said they were confident they have the minimum nine votes needed hold the meeting. Vetoes do not apply on procedural issues.
In March, the United States accused China of attempting to hide North Korea's atrocities from the world by blocking the webcast of an informal meeting of Security Council members on accusations of human rights abuses by Pyongyang.
The council has held annual formal meetings on the issue for the past three years, but behind closed doors. Between 2014 and 2017 the council held annual public meetings on human rights abuses in North Korea.
In 2018 it did not discuss the issue amid since-failed efforts by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and then U.S. President Donald Trump to work toward Pyongyang's denuclearization.
Then the following year the United States instead convened a meeting on the threat of escalation by North Korea amid growing tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.
A landmark 2014 U.N. report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly leader Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. The United States sanctioned Kim in 2016 for human rights abuses.
© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
14 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
North Korea can back the f down and return to the non-proliferation treaty if it doesn't want sanctions. It's also important to remind Russia and China that they used to approve sanctions for misbehavior once upon a time.
Same reason Russia wasn't held accountable for its war in Ukraine.
Rodney
How they got proof?
Garthgoyle
That can talk about it all the want but there is absolutely nothing they can do.
GBR48
Theatre, as it won't make any difference. And a mechanism for leveraging the Cold War 2 split between BRICS and NATO, that may end the global nature (and raison d'etre) of the UN. The UN have been conned into undermining themselves. You can't have a proper world war unless you have divided the planet in two. Wagner is offering support to those on the BRICS side of the fence, NATO for those wanting to stick with the West. Having lost Afghanistan, CAR and Niger, and facing a forever war stalemate in Ukraine, it's not going so well for the West. Resource-rich nations are lining up behind BRICS. The US will be OK, but its allies are going to feel the heat. Not least Japan, as it increasingly looks like Taiwan will be the political football the split/WWIII kicks off with. Being a US ally means buying lots of US-made military gear, so time to get the chequebook out for NATO members, affiliates and wannabes.
TaiwanIsNotChina
India is not your ally and neither are Brazil or South Africa.
Hope they enjoy the war crimes and the theft of resources.
It's not going so well for the dictatorship block either, losing more men than in the Vietnam War and failing in the main objective. Enjoy your impoverished allies, too. They can kick you out as easily as they did the west.
The non-dictatorships have resources, too. Canada may not have 11 time zones but it has enough. South America and Southeast Asia have so far resisted being complete toadies of the dictatorship cabal. In fact you could argue there is only China and its dog Russia in the cabal.
deanzaZZR
US and their rules based international system, y'all, unless it doesn't fit the US agenda which happens pretty much every day.
Rodney
Now Ukraine controls the UN, now Albania?
TaiwanIsNotChina
The Security Council should have no say in human rights issues? That's really drinking the kool-aid.
Legrande
The United Nations Security Council will meet publicly to discuss human rights abuses in North Korea next week, a move requested by the United States
Obviously a preliminary to organizing another coalition as was used to illegally invade Iraq.
And people wonder why the North has pressed ahead with its weapons program.
opheliajadefeldt
The United Nations Security Council will meet publicly to discuss human rights abuses in North Korea....................Strange is it not, I cannot remember any UN council meeting to discuss the civil rights abuses carried out by the USA and its Allies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. Oh but wait, they are on our side!!
TaiwanIsNotChina
Literally conjuring up a story with players from all sides of the world....
TaiwanIsNotChina
Syria has participated in the Security Council (and so has Iran for that matter):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBF-q7pXxoY
Generally terrorist groups are not allowed to address the UNSC, but I know you really wanted them from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen.