UN DK To Hold Open Meeting To Discuss North Korean Human Rights Violations

Pyongyang North Korea/ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH/Thomas Evans

JAKARTA - The United Nations Security Council (DK PBB) will hold its first official open meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea since 2017 next week, representatives from the United States said on Thursday, as chair of the panel this month.

The meeting is scheduled to be held on August 17, following a request by Albania, South Korea, and the US, according to a joint statement from countries delivered by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The 15 board members have failed to hold an open hearing on the topic in recent years, especially due to reluctance from China and Russia, where the two countries are closely related to North Korea.

But senior US officials said the panel appeared to have voice support to continue the trial as planned.

Such procedural voting cannot be vetoed by the council's five permanent members, including China and Russia.

Among those who will brief the council in a scheduled hearing are the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and Elizabeth Salmon, the UN's special rapporteur for the human rights situation in North Korea, the statement said.

Thomas-Greenfiled accused Pyongyang of committing "every day" crimes against its residents as well as residents from Japan and South Korea, referring to North Koreans kidnapped from both countries.

"We know that human rights violations and violence by the government facilitates the advancement of weapons of mass destruction and unlawful ballistic missile programs," he said as quoted by ANTARA from Kyodo, Friday, August 11.

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In recent years, the council has only held information discussions and closed up on human rights violations in North Korea.

China, Pyonyang's main economic donor, has opposed the discussion of the human rights situation in North Korea and said it was not a board mandate, tasked with maintaining international peace and security.

In March, China blocked informal meetings on human rights in North Korea, so as not to be broadcast online by UN broadcasters.

Speaking at the meeting, a Chinese official said the decision to hold the meeting was "unconstructing in any way" and "disposing of UN resources."