”North Korea's human rights violations” discussed at UN General Assembly... ”North Korea's human rights and nuclear development are closely related”

The issue of human rights violations in North Korea was discussed at the UN General Assembly, attended by 193 member states. This was the first time that the issue was raised at a high-level meeting in the 20 years since the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on human rights in North Korea.
On the 21st, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Hwang Jung-guk, the UN ambassador, was speaking at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.
Attended the "High-Level Plenary Conference on North Korean Human Rights" as a representative of South Korea and discussed North Korea's human rights and nuclear issues.
He said that weapons development is closely related to the North Korean people's suffering. The weapons that were made with the help of the North Korean people have contributed to the prolongation of the Ukraine war, and that North Korea's ongoing development of its nuclear missile program has had a major impact on the world.
The meeting was held based on the North Korean Human Rights Resolution adopted by consensus in December last year.
The first high-level meeting was a forum for in-depth discussion of North Korea's human rights issues. The UN Human Rights Council is the third UN representative body in which all UN member states participate.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers it significant that the issue of human rights in North Korea was discussed intensively at the general assembly level. It is expected to be an opportunity to raise broad interest and participation in the issue of human rights in North Korea in the international community.
Ambassador Hwang, the representative of the South Korean side, said that this conference was the first high-level meeting to discuss human rights issues in North Korea at the UN General Assembly in 20 years since the adoption of the North Korean Human Rights Resolution.
Ambassador Hwang then spoke about the reality of forced labor in North Korea, which is considered a crime against humanity equivalent to slavery, as well as the strengthened surveillance and border controls, and restrictions on freedom of expression.
He pointed out the worsening human rights situation in North Korea and called for an immediate resolution to the issues of abductees, detainees, and South Korean prisoners of war.
We urge the immediate release of Mr. Hk-ki and Mr. Choi Choong-gil, express concern about the inhumane treatment of North Korean defectors who are forcibly repatriated, and call on all UN member states to adhere to the principle of no forced repatriations;
Many participating countries also expressed concern about military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and pointed to the deteriorating human rights situation in North Korea and called for improvements.
At this conference, several international human rights organizations and North Korean defectors took to the stage to give detailed testimony on the reality of human rights violations in North Korea.
Kim Eun-ju, a North Korean defector and human rights activist who wrote "A Testament," criticized young North Korean soldiers for participating in the Ukrainian war and fighting on the Russian side, becoming victims of modern-day slavery.
Kang Gyuri, who escaped from North Korea in a 10-meter wooden boat in 2023, said that millions of people in North Korea still have their human rights denied and have no access to any information about the outside world.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The South Korean government will continue to make multifaceted efforts to ensure that meaningful discussions on the serious human rights situation in North Korea continue in various forums, including the United Nations."
He added.