Spotlight on NK Human Rights at UN

As members of the United Nations convene for the 69th
General Assembly on September 16th, a fierce diplomatic battle is expected to
unfold on the sidelines around the issue of human rights in North Korea. Pyongyang’s
top diplomat, Ri Su Yong, will also be in New York to attend the UN meeting.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR]
is leading this high-level conference, the first of its kind on the matter.
South Korea’s foreign minister Yun Byung Se, U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry, and top diplomats from Japan and other European nations are scheduled to
attend the meeting.
 

The officials will review the findings of a comprehensive
report on human rights violations in North Korea, published by a UN Commission
of Inquiry [COI] in February, and discuss whether they will adopt a resolution
strongly condemning Pyongyang at the General Assembly.

Also, South Korea’s President Park Geun Hye is scheduled to
deliver a keynote speech at the UN on the 24th and is likely to raise issue of
North Korea’s abysmal track record of human rights infringements. President
Park is reportedly planned to announce her vision for a peaceful reunification
between the two Koreas during her speech, and call on Pyongyang to respect
the human rights of its people.

Meanwhile, North Korea is likely to proactively counter
issues raised at this UN gathering. The fact that it has sent Foreign Minister
Ri Su Yong to the UN for the first time in 15 years is seen as a move supporting
this belief. Ri will deliver a keynote speech at the General Assembly on the
27th, where he is expected to denounce any such criticism against human rights
conditions in the North, and label it an attempt to overthrow the leadership.

North Korea, earlier on the 13th, announced a human rights
report of its own, in which it refuted the COI report, claiming all North
Koreans enjoy sufficient political, social, and cultural rights. This is seen
as a move by Pyongyang to hamper efforts to discuss the findings from the UN
panel and the possible adoption of a resolution on North Korea’s human rights.