Unification minister says joining U.N. resolution on N.K. human rights made through interagency coordination

▲ This file photo shows Unification Minister Chung Dong-young leaving after responding to questions from the press at the government complex in central Seoul on March 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

unification minister-UN resolution

Unification minister says joining U.N. resolution on N.K. human rights made through interagency coordination

SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Monday that South Korea's decision to co-sponsor this year's U.N. resolution on North Korean human rights was reached through interagency coordination, signaling a measured shift from earlier expectations.

Chung, who had previously voiced opposition to the co-sponsorship, citing Pyongyang's objections, made the remarks after the foreign ministry announced Saturday that Seoul would join other nations in co-sponsoring the resolution.

"The decision can be seen as a compromise between respecting the U.N.'s role in representing universal values and taking into account the other party's position on matters it views as related to its sovereignty," Chung told reporters, apparently referring to North Korea.

There had been speculation that South Korea might refrain from joining the resolution in line with President Lee Jae Myung's conciliatory approach toward Pyongyang, which has consistently condemned such moves as politically motivated and interference in its internal affairs. However, Pyongyang's continued hard-line stance toward Seoul is also believed to have factored into the decision.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un formally labeled South Korea the "most hostile state" in his speech to the newly elected rubber-stamp parliament last week.

Despite the co-sponsorship, Chung said the government's policy of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged.

The resolution, drafted by the European Union and Australia, is expected to be adopted at a regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council later this month.

South Korea was among the 61 co-sponsors for the resolution adopted at the U.N. General Assembly Third Committee last December. Seoul co-sponsored the resolution from 2008-18 but skipped it from 2019-21 during the former liberal administration of Moon Jae-in.

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