Rep. Kim Seok-ki (from left), Tae Young-ho, Kim Ki-hyun, and Ji Seong-ho, who visited the Ministry of Unification to protest the government’s position on North Korean human rights issues, are holding a press conference at the lobby of the Seoul Government Complex on the 15th. yunhap news
The biden administration of the United States has released a report pointing out the reality of human rights between the two Koreas. The United Nations is ahead of the adoption of a North Korean human rights resolution, which is due to be absent from the Korean government. It is feared that human rights issues will put the government into a dilemma amid simultaneous pressure from the international community.
The Human Rights and Labor Bureau of the U.S. Department of State prepares and publishes a national human rights report every year. This year’s report introduced that there are criticisms that the illegalization of the spread of warfare against North Korea by the Korean side is a violation of freedom of expression. After mentioning the corruption issue of former Minister Cho Kook for the second year, it also addressed the issue of embezzlement of Congressman Mi-hyang Yoon and sexual harassment by former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and former mayor of Busan. Although it is an objective fact, it is necessary to understand its intention in that it is a content that will undermine the human rights movement of the Korean government. The report pointed out that in the case of North Korea, the situation of human rights has worsened due to Corona 19.
In this situation, the UN Human Rights Council is scheduled to adopt a North Korean human rights resolution as early as the 23rd. The draft resolution condemned North Korea’s institutional and widespread human rights abuses and recommended referrals to the International Criminal Court (ICC). 43 countries, including the United States, Japan, and the European Union, have participated in the joint proposal of the resolution that North Korea is keenly aware of. The government says it is still under review, but there is a high possibility that it will be absent for the third year from 2019.
It is difficult to deny that the Korean government has neglected human rights in North Korea for the sake of inter-Korean cooperation and peace. However, the Biden administration is pressing China with human rights diplomacy and is trying to use it as an opportunity to restore leadership. Unlike the Trump administration, human rights in North Korea are sending out signals that they will not tolerate it. It is in the same vein that Secretary of State Tony Blincoln harshly criticized North Korea when he criticized the contents of the UN resolution during his visit to Korea last week.
Human rights are about universal values, and the seriousness of human rights in North Korea is a known issue. It is also true that when human rights issues emerge, it becomes difficult to find clues for inter-Korean cooperation and denuclearization negotiations. However, as it is also a reality that it is difficult to ignore human rights issues, it is time for the government to consider a different and discriminatory approach.
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