UN General Assembly passes NK human rights resolution for 19th consecutive year

Voting results are displayed as the United Nations General Assembly voted on a nonbinding resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza and a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers at U.N. headquarters, Oct. 27. AP-Yonhap

The U.N. General Assembly has passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 19th consecutive year amid growing woes over the safety of North Korean escapees who were repatriated from China.

This year's resolution, highlighting concerns over the repatriation, was passed by consensus at the General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (local time), after it was unanimously adopted by the Third Committee handling human rights and social affairs on Nov. 15.

Seoul and Washington have voiced concerns on reports that hundreds of North Korean defectors in China have been forcibly repatriated as cross-border travel resumed following the North's full lifting of pandemic-driven border closures this year.

The resolution, led by the European Union, strongly urges all member states to respect the principle of non-refoulement, which guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face the risk of persecution.

As Pyongyang's key ally, China does not recognize North Korean defectors as refugees and regularly repatriates them to their home country, where they could face harsh punishment.

The resolution condemns the "long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights" in the North.

North Korea has long been accused of grave human rights abuses, ranging from holding political prisoners in concentration camps to committing torture and carrying out public executions. However, North Korea claims its people are freely enjoying genuine human rights.

Since 2005, the U.N. General Assembly has adopted the resolution condemning North Korea's dire human rights situation every year.

South Korea co-sponsored the latest resolution, as it did last year for the first time in four years. Since taking office in May last year, the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration has taken a proactive stance in dealing with the North's rights issues. (Yonhap)