Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Condemnatory

Yes

Analysis

• The resolution strongly condemns North Korea for "long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations..." and quotes findings of the Commission of Inquiry that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed" in North Korea as a matter of state policy. The resolution also extends the mandate of the special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea.
• North Korea strongly objected to the resolution.
• Moreover, the resolution was adopted under Item 4, the primary framework for addressing country-specific human rights situations, signaling criticism.

Main Sponsors

European Union

Vote

Consensus

Key Praise

None

Key Criticism

• "Condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for national policies that increasingly divert its resources into pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of its people and their access to food..."
• "Condemns in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations and other human rights abuses committed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and expresses again its grave concern at the detailed findings made by the commission of inquiry in its report...including: (a) The denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion... (b) Discrimination based on the songbun system, which classifies people on the basis of State-assigned social class and birth... (e) Violations of the right to life and acts of extermination, murder, enslavement, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, imprisonment, rape... (g) The enforced and involuntary disappearance of persons by arrest, detention or abduction against their will, the refusal to disclose the fate and whereabouts of the persons concerned... (h) Systematic abduction, denial of repatriation and subsequent enforced disappearance of persons, including those from other countries, on a large scale and as a matter of State policy..."
• "Urges the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to acknowledge its crimes, abuses and human rights violations, in and outside of the country, and to take immediately all steps necessary to end all such crimes, abuses and violations..."
• "Stresses and restates its grave concern at the finding of the commission of inquiry that the body of testimony gathered and the information received provided reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the State for decades and by institutions under the effective control of its leadership..."
• "Decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea..."