By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea is expected to ask the United Nations to take enhanced measures regarding North Korea’s human rights record following approval by the U.N. General Assembly of a bill against Pyongyang in December, according to government sources, Monday.
The sources said Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will deliver a keynote speech Tuesday at the 28th session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting kicked off Monday and will run through March 27.
Cho is expected to call for increased international efforts to fight against Pyongyang’s state-perpetrated violations of human rights. In December, the U.N. General Assembly adopted bill that asks the U.N. Security Council to refer North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity.
In a separate appearance on Tuesday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech of his own.
The speech will be the first of its kinds to be given by Pyongyang’s top diplomat to the U.N. council.
Ri is anticipated to address the country’s protest against the international community’s growing pressure on its regime.
The U.N. bill was based on the U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) report released in February 2014. Led by Michael Kirby, a former COI chairman, the report accused the reclusive state of running political camps where up to 120,000 people are thought to be detained.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are among those attending the meeting in Geneva.