SEOUL– South Korea is “positively” considering co-sponsoring a U.N. resolution condemning North Korea’s grave human rights conditions after refraining from doing so for years under the preceding liberal administration, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry Thursday.
“Our government is proactively participating in consultations on the North Korean human rights resolution being deliberated at the U.N.,” Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said during a press briefing.
He said the government was “positively reviewing co-sponsoring” the resolution and added that a final decision will be reached after considering various circumstances.
When asked whether the move could worsen the strained inter-Korean relations, Lim said Seoul remains open for dialogue while mentioning President Yoon Suk-yeol’s “audacious initiative” to help rebuild North Korea’s economy in return for denuclearization steps.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses for 20 consecutive years since 2003.
South Korea, however, has not participated as a co-sponsor of the resolution since 2019 under the liberal Moon Jae-in administration amid its efforts to avoid tensions with the North and resume inter-Korean dialogue.
Source: Yonhap News Agency