(LEAD) S. Korea joins as co-sponsor of U.N. resolution on N. Korean human rights

(ATTN: ADDS more info, N. Korea's response in last 6 paras)
By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has decided to co-sponsor this year's U.N. General Assembly resolution on North Korean human rights, which calls for an end to human rights violations in the reclusive country while stressing the importance of dialogue with Pyongyang, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The resolution, proposed by the European Union (EU), is currently under review by the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly in New York and is expected to be adopted by the committee around Nov. 18-19.

"As it is crucial to make practical improvements in the human rights of North Korean residents, the government has joined as a co-sponsor of this year's resolution as part of its efforts to continue international cooperation," the ministry said in a press release.

At South Korea's suggestion, the resolution includes language stressing the importance of dialogue and engagement with Pyongyang, including inter-Korean talks, and calls for progress on humanitarian issues involving abductees, detainees, prisoners of war and separated families.

South Korea has now co-sponsored a U.N. General Assembly resolution on North Korean human rights for the fifth consecutive year.

The U.N. General Assembly has adopted resolutions on North Korean human rights annually since 2005, calling for an end to human rights violations and urging Pyongyang to cooperate with international efforts to improve its human rights record.

South Korea co-sponsored the resolutions from 2008 to 2018 but refrained from doing so from 2019 to 2021 under the former liberal administration of Moon Jae-in, citing concerns over their potential impact on inter-Korean relations.

Seoul resumed co-sponsorship in 2022 under the conservative administration of Yoon Suk Yeol and continued to do so under President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025, despite initial consideration of withholding support to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang.

The North Korean mission to the U.N. issued a statement Wednesday (U.S. time), denouncing the draft human rights resolution as a politically motivated attempt to interfere in the country's internal affairs and challenge its sovereignty.

It described the draft as an "illegal, conspiratorial and confrontational anti-DPRK document" that runs counter to the U.N. Charter's principles of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The human rights system and situation of a country should be appreciated by its people rather than the outside forces harboring hostility," said the statement carried Thursday by the North Korean state media, claiming that North Korea was making continuous efforts to protect citizens' rights and improve their living standards under its "people-first" political idea.

Citing demonstrations and alleged police violence in Paris, Brussels and other European cities, the statement added the country "will never tolerate any hostile forces' attempt to infringe upon the peaceful life and rights of its people but fully discharge its responsibility for safeguarding their dignity, rights and interests."

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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