By UN Journal Kayla Lee

The government of the Republic of Korea welcomed the adoption by consensus at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) on April 3 (Geneva time) of a resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which was co-sponsored by 54 countries including the Republic of Korea.

The adoption of the resolution by consensus for ten consecutive years testifies to the international community’s concern over the dire human rights situation in the DPRK and sends a united message from the international community calling for improvement of the DPRK’s human rights situation.

The ROK government participated actively in the drafting process for the resolution, contributing to strengthening the resolution’s text on forced labor in the DPRK, such as by adding phrases pointing out the possibility that some cases of forced labor in the DPRK may constitute a crime against humanity of enslavement. Furthermore, the ROK actively raised the necessity of resolving the issue of detainees including three ROK missionaries, by adding phrases calling for an immediate release of those who are arbitrarily detained in the DPRK.

Moreover, reflecting the international community’s concerns over the DPRK’s troop deployment to Russia, the resolution contains a call on the DPRK to refrain from the use of deadly and other excessive force at its borders and elsewhere, particularly where it would exacerbate civilian suffering, fuel human rights violations and destabilize international security.

As emphasized in the resolution, the ROK government is deeply concerned over the ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations in the DPRK. The ROK anticipates in-depth discussions on the grave human rights situation in the DPRK on various occasions, including for the comprehensive report on the DPRK’s human rights situation by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to be submitted to the HRC during its 60th session in September, followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue.

As a member state of the HRC, the Republic of Korea will raise awareness on the severity of the DPRK’s human rights abuses in the UN including the HRC and continue its multi-faceted endeavors to improve the DPRK’s human rights situation.