For the first time in its history, the United Nations General Assembly held a high-level meeting addressing the human rights situation in North Korea. The meeting took place on May 20 (local time) at the U.N. Headquarters in New York and was convened by the President of the 79th U.N. General Assembly. It was based on a resolution on North Korean human rights adopted in December 2023. This marks the first occasion the U.N.’s primary deliberative body has addressed the issue in a high-level format.
The meeting is significant in that all major U.N. bodies — including the Security Council and the Human Rights Council — have now formally taken up the North Korean human rights situation. From 2014 to 2017, the U.N. Security Council held annual formal briefings on the issue and resumed related sessions in 2023 and 2024. The Human Rights Council has continued its annual dialogues with the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Hwang Joon-kook, South Korea’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., led the South Korean delegation and emphasized the historical significance of the event: “This is the first high-level meeting ever held by the General Assembly since it began adopting resolutions on North Korean human rights 20 years ago.” He pointed out that the situation in North Korea — including forced labor, enslavement, surveillance, border controls and restrictions on freedom of expression — may amount to crimes against humanity.
Hwang also called for the immediate resolution of the abduction, detention and prisoner-of-war issues and strongly urged North Korea to promptly release South Korean missionaries Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-ki and Choe Chun-gil, who remain detained in the country. He further expressed concern about inhumane treatment related to forced repatriation of North Korean defectors and urged U.N. member states to strictly adhere to the principle of non-refoulement under international law.
Hwang drew a connection between North Korea’s human rights violations and its weapons development: “Weapons made at the cost of the suffering of the North Korean people are being used in the war in Ukraine, and the regime’s nuclear missile development poses a serious threat to the global non-proliferation regime and world peace.”
A large number of U.N. member states participated in the meeting, expressing deep concern over the worsening human rights conditions in North Korea and voicing criticism of the country's military cooperation with Russia. Participating countries urged continued international efforts to improve human rights in North Korea.
Dennis Francis, president of the 79th U.N. General Assembly, presided over the meeting. Ilze Brands Kehris, U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights, and Elizabeth Salmón, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, also attended and called for sustained global attention to the grave situation.
North Korean defectors Kim Eun-ju and Kang Gyuri gave firsthand testimony about the abuses they suffered in the country. Representatives from more than 30 global civil society organizations, including Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), and Sean Chung, director of HanVoice, were also present and expressed shared concerns.
Later that afternoon, the South Korean mission to the U.N. co-hosted a reception with the Global Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, inviting U.N. member state representatives and civil society organizations to discuss collaboration and efforts toward improving human rights in North Korea. Ambassador Hwang, Special Rapporteur Salmón, and civil society leaders delivered remarks at the event.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Building on this meeting, we will continue to pursue multi-faceted efforts across various international platforms, including the United Nations, to ensure that meaningful dialogue on North Korean human rights can continue.”
Originally published by Christian Daily Korea, translated and edited by Christian Daily International staff.
