U.N. Resolution condemns North Korea’s human rights abuse

November 15, 2019

New York--The Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly at a meeting on Thursday adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights violations, including its abductions of Japanese and other foreign nationals.

The committee adopted such a resolution for the 15th consecutive year. The resolution urged Pyongyang to "address all allegations of enforced disappearances, provide accurate information to the families of the victims on the fates and whereabouts of their missing relatives and resolve all issues related to all abductees at the earliest possible date, in particular the return of abductees of Japan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea)."

The resolution, submitted by the European Union, also condemned North Korea for "diverting its resources into pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of its people."

Japan had submitted resolutions against North Korea jointly with the EU. But the country chose not to do so for this year's resolution and instead opted to sponsor it with other nations.

The country made the decision after "comprehensively considering the importance of the international community issuing messages regarding the abduction issue constantly and various factors surrounding Japan-North Korea relations," a Japanese government official said.

By not jointly submitting the resolution, Japan apparently showed a somewhat reconciliatory stance to encourage North Korea to take a softer line toward resolving the abduction issue.

Earlier this year, Japan also refrained from submitting a resolution criticizing North Korea's human rights abuse to the U.N. Human Rights Council, after jointly presenting such a resolution jointly with the EU for 11 straight years from 2008.

At the U.N. panel meeting Thursday, some countries, including China, Russia and Iran, did not join the consensus procedures to adopt the EU resolution.

Kim Song, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, walked out before the adoption of the resolution, saying that "my delegation categorically rejects" it. Jiji Press