UN to Consider Resolution on Human Rights in N Korea in December: Reports

The resolution over North Korean human rights situation will be discussed on December 18-19. In November, the UN resolution condemning Pyongyang's human rights record resulted in a wave of protests in North Korea.

MOSCOW, December 3 (Sputnik) – The UN General Assembly will consider adopting a resolution in December regarding the human rights situation in North Korea while South Korea and other countries are negotiating the possibility to put the issue on the UN Security Council's agenda, the Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday citing unnamed sources.

The resolution over North Korean human rights situation will be discussed at the General Assembly's plenary session on December 18-19, a South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry official told Yonhap.

Chad, which is holding the presidency of the UN Security Council in December, has been negotiating with South Korea and other countries about whether to place the issue on the Security Council's agenda, the official added.

"Once the issue is put on the table, discussions will take place at the Security Council," the official was quoted as saying by the news agency. "But it is very difficult to expect any kind of action [against the North] by the Security Council."

In November, the UN General Assembly's third committee passed a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights record and urged a referral of the country to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.

North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un denied the accusations, saying that the committee's decision was backed by the United States and other countries aiming to overthrow the ruling regime. On November 29, North Korea released a report blaming the United States and other countries for fabricating the human rights charges against the country.