The Lee Jae Myung administration has joined as a co-sponsor of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution addressing human rights concerns in North Korea.
On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee unveiled a resolution on North Korean human rights, with South Korea, European Union member states, and several other countries listed as co-sponsors.
South Korea consistently co-sponsored the resolution from 2008 to 2018. However, during the Moon Jae-in administration from 2019 to 2022, it abstained due to potential impacts on inter-Korean relations. The country resumed its role as a co-sponsor in 2023 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
This resolution condemns human rights abuses in North Korea and calls for international attention to hold perpetrators accountable.
Prior to this, 20 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), and the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, along with British Lord David Alton and former co-chair of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Roberta Cohen, sent an open letter to President Lee last month urging South Korea’s participation as a co-sponsor.
After adoption by the Third Committee, the North Korean human rights resolution will be presented to the UN General Assembly plenary session next month for final approval. The Third Committee has consistently adopted this resolution for 20 consecutive years since 2005, and since 2016, it has been passed by consensus among member states without a separate vote.
North Korea is expected to strongly oppose this UN resolution on its human rights situation. Last year, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized it as a serious political provocation infringing on the country’s dignity and sovereignty, describing it as a charade of adopting human rights resolutions led by the U.S. and its allies.