Today at the 27th United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations gave a report with a total of 268 proposals for North Korea. These proposals are all ways in which the North Korean government could improve human rights for its citizens. Yonhap News reported however, the North Korean representative who was present at the council had officially rejected 83 of them.
The 268 proposals that were included in this UPR (Universal Periodic Review) report included the disbanding of North Korea's concentration labor camps, banning public executions, confirming the existence of an entire network of inhumane crimes committed by the DPRK government, and allowing U.N. representatives to inspect government and judicial facilities and for other international organizations to visit their country including groups like the Red Cross.
However, these were among the key proposals made by the council that North Korea had rejected. Sae-pyeong Seo, the North Korean ambassador who was present at the meeting announced that his government had decided to reject other statements in the UPR report regarding the treatment of DPRK's citizens. These include filing reports on the number of executions that were held, disclosing the names of prisoners, freedom to travel within and outside their borders, and banning punishment of defectors. Though representative Seo told the council that DPRK will definitely look over the proposals again before they make final decision, in reality North Korea had only accepted 113 of the accusations.
The points that North Korea had officially taken into account from the most recent UPR report included gender equality, sexual and child abuse. Mostly issues that are not detrimental to maintaining their regime.
Seo told the council in Geneva that North Korea is and will continue to work to pay more attention to human rights, starting with the endorsement of international agreements such as the CRC (Convention on the Rights of Child), but it will not tolerate pressure and intervention from any international organization.
Representatives from Korea and the U.S. spoke out against North Korea's position at the UNHRC. Yung-jip Ahn, the ambassador from South Korea expressed how North Korea is still refusing to accept that its citizens are not benefitting from their most basic human rights and urged North Korea to accept the terms and findings from the most recent COI (Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights) report which told the global community about its penal labor camps and other atrocities that are taking place in the most isolated nation in the world.
U.S. ambassador Robert King also expressed frustration and disappointment at North Korea's attitude and stated that North Korea's prison labor camps must all be disbanded immediately.
The UPR (Universal Periodic Review) is a review system that is used 3 times a year for all 193 U.N. member nations to survey how well citizens' rights are respected. For a long time however, North Korea has refused to receive the second UPR inspection of the year.
