DPRK condemns UN over false human rights accusations
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea underlines that the United Nations is making false human rights allegations against it after the latter hosted a DPRK defector.
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Hwang Joon-kook, South Korea’s UN ambassador, speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the situation in the DPRK, Aug. 17, 2023, at United Nations headquarters (AP)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday condemned the United Nations over its false accusations of human rights violations against Pyongyang, saying its actions were arbitrary and biased.
A spokesperson for the Korean Association for Human Rights Studies issued a statement criticizing the United Nations Security Council's recent discussion of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement characterized the UNSC as a "theatre of human scum" that yielded to the "high-handed and arbitrary practices" of the United States.
Pyongyang lambasted the UNSC for becoming a forum to discuss the non-existent human rights issue in the country, which it underlined was not even within the council's fundamental mission of addressing international peace and security concerns.
The statement condemned the council for allegedly "haggling" about the human rights situation in a single country and accused it of abusing its authority for the sake of an "anti-DPRK 'human rights' racket," orchestrated by the US and its allies.
Ilhyeok Kim, a defector from the DPRK, made testimonies before the council that Pyongyang swiftly denounced and labeled as false.
The Korea Association for Human Rights Studies also criticized the UNSC for allowing "defectors from the north" to participate in its proceedings, labeling them as "the worst criminals, morally degenerated ones, and swindlers."
The DPRK dismissed the credibility of defectors' testimonies, referencing a past case where a defector admitted to distorting information for personal gain.
"The US 'politely invited' the human scum who lost their worth as human beings to sit next to it, revealing by itself that it is no more than the poor human scum," the statement added.
In closing, Pyongyang characterized the UNSC as a "private dictatorship organization" influenced by the US, asserting that it was disregarding the genuine human rights situation of sovereign states.
The Korea Association for Human Rights Studies emphasized the need to defend the DPRK's national sovereignty in order to ensure genuine human rights for its citizens, stressing that the country would never tolerate the smear campaigns launched against it by the United States and its followers.
The provocations and Western accusations come after DPRK media reported Wednesday that US army private Travis King, a soldier who illegally crossed from South Korea in mid-June was seeking refuge in the DPRK or another third country as he was "disillusioned at the unequal American society."
The private admitted that he illegally entered the territory and confessed to his decision to seek refuge in the DPRK or another third country as "he harbored ill feeling against inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination within the US Army".
The US Defense Department relayed that he entered voluntarily but without authorization, as the DPRK remains in contact with the UN Command while reports add that he is set to face more administrative action once returning to the US.
According to US military officials, King “willfully and without authorization” crossed over during a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area, which is a demilitarized zone that has separated the two Koreas since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
The United States has officially requested that the DPRK returns King, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters last month.
"We have relayed messages to the DPRK that Private King crossed on his own and we want him returned safely," Miller said. The spokesperson also said Washington asked for information on the Private's health.
