U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed this week's U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea's human rights violations, saying such a meeting is crucial in shedding light on the problem.
Thursday's meeting marked the second time the Council has discussed the North Korean human rights issue after its first-ever such meeting last year following the adoption of a landmark U.N. General Assembly resolution calling for referring the North to the International Criminal Court.
A similar resolution has been proposed this year, passed the Third Committee last month and is expected to be formally adopted at the General Assembly later this month. This year's measure also calls for referring the issue to the ICC.
The resolution and Thursday's Security Council meeting underscored the seriousness the international community attaches to the problem, and is expected to increase pressure on Pyongyang.
"One year ago this month, the Council convened for the first time in history to discuss the human rights situation in the DPRK. We believe it is critical to shine a light on the human rights violations in the DPRK and we will continue to do so," Kerry said in a statement.
"We join our fellow members of the Security Council in expressing our deep concern over the DPRK's deplorable human rights violations such as those involving extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrest, rape and other forms of sexual violence, forced labor, forced abortions, torture, and the detention of an estimated 80,000-120,000 political prisoners in a network of political prison camps," he said.
Kerry urged the North to comply with its international obligations and commitments, including those reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
North Korea has long been labeled as one of the worst human rights violators. The communist regime does not tolerate dissent, holds hundreds of thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information.
But the North has bristled at such criticism, calling it a U.S.-led attempt to topple its regime. (Yonhap)