The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on North Korean human rights by consensus without a vote on Friday (Geneva local time), with South Korea participating as a co-sponsoring country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release that "the UN Human Rights Council notes that this resolution evaluates North Korea's efforts, including welcoming North Korea's compliance with human rights obligations and its participation in the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), while emphasizing the importance of dialogue and engagement for improving North Korean human rights, including inter-Korean dialogue."
The resolution reflects the contents of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' comprehensive report on North Korean human rights issued last year, which documented specific human rights restrictions including freedom of movement and freedom of expression and called for improvements. It also includes humanitarian issues such as calls for the immediate repatriation of abductees and the resumption of separated family reunions, as well as encouragement for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The resolution has been adopted for 24 consecutive years since 2003, when it was first passed by the UN Commission on Human Rights, the predecessor of the Human Rights Council. South Korea had not participated from 2019 under the Moon Jae-in administration but returned as a co-sponsoring country in 2023 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
A government official said, "We will continue to cooperate with the international community to ensure that the human rights of North Korean residents are substantively improved."