Adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution on North Korean Human Rights (PG) Illustration

North Korea has reacted to the adoption of the UN Human Rights Council's resolution on North Korean human rights, stating, "We denounce and reject this in the strongest possible terms as a grave political provocation against the dignity and sovereignty of our nation."

In a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency on the 2nd, a spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued, "The selective human rights discussion system targeting individual countries contradicts the spirit of the UN Charter, which stipulates the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs, and constitutes hostile acts."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized, "The practice of adopting 'human rights resolutions' against the DPRK (North Korea), which has continued for over 20 years, is a regrettable state of affairs in the UN human rights arena, increasingly contaminated by politicization, selectivity, and double standards."

It continued, "The most pressing task facing the UN Human Rights Council today is to devise practical measures to thoroughly investigate and hold accountable the extremely serious crimes against humanity caused by the state terrorism and sovereignty-infringing acts of hegemonic powers."

It added, "In any case, tragic accidents where children, who should be afforded special protection, become targets of precision-guided munitions, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, are occurring as a daily occurrence."

This appears to be a reference to the incident where at least 175 students and teachers were killed at a primary school in Iran by US military attacks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated, "The malicious behavior of countries that have blindly trusted hostile forces and joined in the unwarranted slander and defamation of our most popular and just social system will surely be accounted for."

On November 30th, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution on North Korean human rights by consensus (without a vote) at its 61st session. This marks the 24th consecutive year of adoption, with 50 countries, including South Korea, participating as co-sponsors.