The United Nations General Assembly held a high-level meeting on North Korean human rights issues for the first time.
On Wednesday, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the South Korean government had participated in the 79th UN General Assembly President’s High-Level Plenary Meeting on North Korean Human Rights, held in New York on May 20 (local time). Based on the resolution adopted last December, the meeting spotlighted systematic human rights violations by the North Korean regime and featured testimonies from defectors and senior international officials.
Hwang Junkook, South Korea’s Ambassador to the UN, highlighted the historic nature of the gathering, noting that this was the first high-level General Assembly meeting on North Korean human rights in the 20 years since the Assembly began passing relevant resolutions. He drew attention to the regime’s use of forced labor, abductions, and detentions, and the issue of forced repatriation of defectors.
He further stated, “The North Korean human rights crisis is deeply tied to the regime’s nuclear weapons program. Weapons built on the suffering of the North Korean people are fueling the war in Ukraine and pose a grave threat to international peace, security, and the global non-proliferation regime.”
International human rights groups and North Korean defectors also offered detailed testimony during the session.
Kim Eun Joo, a human rights activist and author of The Will of an 11-Year-Old, condemned the use of young North Korean soldiers in the Ukraine war, describing them as “modern-day slaves” sent to fight for Russia.
Kang Gyu Ri, who escaped from North Korea in 2023 aboard a 10-meter wooden boat, revealed that millions of North Koreans are still deprived of fundamental rights and access to outside information. She shared how her family was exiled from Pyongyang to the countryside at the age of five because her grandmother practiced folk religion, and that two of her friends were executed for sharing South Korean dramas.
The meeting emphasized the importance of turning ongoing international concern over North Korea’s human rights violations into meaningful dialogue and reform, supported by consistent global attention.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “This session is significant in that it marks the first intensive discussion on North Korean human rights at the General Assembly level with participation from all UN member states, following similar efforts in the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council. It has helped broaden global engagement and raise awareness of North Korea’s human rights crisis.”