South Korea welcomed Friday the adoption of a United Nations resolution denouncing North Korea’s egregious human rights violations and called on the North to take measures to resolve the issue of detainees, abductees and prisoners of war.

The call came a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted by consensus the resolution denouncing North Korea’s widespread and systematic human rights violations at the 55th regular session of the UNHRC in Geneva. It marked the 22nd consecutive year the resolution was adopted.

“The government is deeply concerned over systemic, widespread and grave violation of human rights that continues in North Korea and urges the North to take measures to enhance human rights according to the resolution, including resolving the issue of abductees, detainees and prisoners of war as well as ensuring access to information to North Korean residents,” Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, told reporters in a reg
ular press briefing.

Kim said the government has actively taken part in drawing up the resolution and vowed to closely work with the international community to resolve the issue as well as enhance overall rights conditions in the North.

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho, South Korea’s point man on North Korea, denounced North Korea and reaffirmed the pledge to closely cooperate with the international community to hold North Korean authorities accountable.

“The North Korean regime is preoccupied with nuclear and missile development and provocations, while ignoring the lives of the North Korean people,” Kim told ambassadors of United Nations Command member states in a policy briefing session on Friday.

He said promoting North Korea’s human rights situation in the international community will help resolve relevant issues and drive the “right changes” in the North.

The ministry has stepped up efforts to resolve the rights issue and muster international support for the repatriation of victims. In March, minist
ry officials visited Geneva with the son of Choi Chun-gil, a South Korean missionary detained in the North.

Choi is one of six South Koreans currently detained in the North for years, including two other missionaries — Kim Jung-wook and Kim Kook-kie — with their whereabouts or fates unknown.

Source: Yonhap News Agency