North Korea has formally ratified a UN optional protocol on the protection of children, according to a report by state media. The North first acceded to the Convention in September 1990.

According to a Chosun Central News Agency [KCNA] report on November 10th, the Supreme People¡¯s Assembly ¡°ratified the optional protocol on banning child trafficking, prostitution and pornographic literature, annex to the UN Convention on Children's Rights.¡±

Ja Sung Nam, the permanent representative of North Korea at the UN, signed the protocol on September 9th. Of the 17 clauses in the protocol, the majority focus on detailed regulations and punishments for violators and international cooperation for victims.

Regarding the North¡¯s decision, the report read, ¡°Its ratification of the protocol is a demonstration of the government's policy of attaching importance to the children and a manifestation of its will to fulfill its commitment and promote international cooperation in the field of human rights.¡±

The UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review [UPR] recommended the North to ratify the protocol in May. Pyongyang¡¯s cooperation in going through with the ratification is understood to fit in with larger efforts to improve its international image and avoid a possible referral to the International Criminal Court [ICC] for crimes against humanity.

On September 13th, Pyongyang published its own human rights report, countering accusations from the Commission of Inquiry [COI] on North Korea findings and claiming that all North Koreans enjoy ample political, social, and cultural rights. The report mentioned this protocol, along with myriad other international treaties, and North Korea¡¯s efforts to look into matters of joining them, while arguing its status as an existing party to others.

In accordance with the protocol, North Korea must submit a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child within two years, stipulating the measures in place that serve to uphold the convention¡¯s standards.