North Korea has responded to a European Union draft resolution submitted to the United Nations on the human rights situation in the country. In a statement carried by state media on Thursday, the EU was told to “mind your own business.”
North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the UN said in a statement published by the official Korean Central News Agency that the EU had resubmitted a draft resolution that “openly distorts the human rights policy and situation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” It described the proposal as a “showpiece” and a “politically motivated provocation,” adding that “Human rights are by no means the monopoly of the West.”
The mission said that streets in European cities from Paris to Brussels, where the EU is headquartered, were filled with demonstrators from different sections of society demanding fundamental rights such as the right to life. It said the EU should “mind its own business instead of raising non-existent human rights issues.”
The UN and other organisations have long accused North Korea of widespread human rights violations, including operating prison camps and severely restricting freedom of expression and access to information. Public information about the country’s criminal justice system is limited. Since 2005, the UN General Assembly has adopted an annual resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea. The draft is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly’s Third Committee this month before being submitted to the full Assembly for final approval. In an assessment published last year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the situation in North Korea had not improved over the past 10 years and had worsened in many respects.
