S. Korea considering whether to join as co-sponsor of U.N. resolution on N.K. human rights this year

▲ This undated file image, captured from U.N. TV, shows the overview of the U.N. Human Rights Council in session. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-UN-NK human rights

S. Korea considering whether to join as co-sponsor of U.N. resolution on N.K. human rights this year

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is considering whether to join a co-sponsor of this year's U.N. resolution on North Korean human rights, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

Seoul is weighing whether to drop out as a co-sponsor of the resolution on the human rights situation in North Korea, a draft of which has been submitted for adoption at the 61st U.N. Human Rights Council later this month, sources familiar with the matter said.

If finalized, the move would mark a departure from its co-sponsorship last year, which was seen as unexpected for the new liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung, as it seeks to restore badly frayed ties with Pyongyang.

South Korea was among the 61 co-sponsors for the resolution adopted at the U.N. General Assembly Third Committee last December.

The potential shift over this year's resolution comes as Seoul has made little headway in improving its relations with the recalcitrant regime and could be seen as yet another gesture of rapprochement toward the North.

It remains doubtful, however, if such a conciliatory move would help appease Pyongyang since the North has maintained its hostile approach toward the South.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un formally labeled South Korea the "most hostile state" in his speech to the newly elected rubber-stamp parliament Monday, its state media reported.

A participating U.N. member state can still join as a co-sponsor of a resolution for up to two weeks after the adoption, giving South Korea until mid-April to make its final decision.

"We are under a comprehensive review, taking into account its broader effects to promote peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the content of the resolution," a foreign ministry official said.

"What matters most is the practical improvement of the human rights of North Korean people, and we will continue to work with the international community toward that end," the official said.

If South Korea decides to drop out as a co-sponsor, it would be the first time since 2022. It was not on the co-sponsors' list for North Korean human rights resolutions from 2019-22, during the liberal government of former President Moon Jae-in.

Seoul rejoined the co-sponsorship in 2023-25 under the conservative government of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who took a hard-line approach toward Pyongyang.

Last year's resolution condemns "in the strongest terms" the longstanding, systematic and gross violations of human rights in and by North Korea, including those that may amount to crimes against humanity.

It also condemns the North for "continuing to divert a disproportionate amount of its resources into military spending and the pursuit of its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs over the welfare of its people."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved