The United Nations General Assembly’s third committee will vote on a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses sometime between November 19 and 21. The resolution, presented by the European Union, was translated into different languages and sent out to all UN member countries last week. The EU and other UN members are currently fine-tuning their opinions on the wording of the resolution. Here’s Dr. Kim Su-am from the Korea Institute for National Unification explaining the general idea of the resolution.

The resolution on North Korea’s human rights has been laid before the U.N. General Assembly for three consecutive years since 2005. The resolution will once again remind North Korea, a signatory to four human rights agreements, of its duty to respect and protect human rights of its people. Also, the resolution may explain details about the plight of the North Koreans who suffer systematic and widespread human rights violations, marked by torture, repatriation of North Korean defectors and kidnapping of foreigners. It will also express concern that North Korea wouldn’t admit the U.N. special rapporteur. And it will call for international cooperation to improve the human rights record in the North.

Previous resolutions expressed deep concern about human rights practices in North Korea, which include torture, public executions and the illegal detention of political prisoners and defectors. Freedom of conscience, religion, assembly and association is not guaranteed in the communist country. The North also restricts its people from moving to other regions in the nation and traveling to foreign countries. There are a number of concentration camps in North Korea where forced labor is rampant. Realizing the urgent need to improve the dire human rights conditions in the North, the international community began to take action.

The disastrous human rights situation in North Korea has been revealed through North Korean defectors since the 1990s when an increasing number of North Koreans were fleeing their home country due to the nation’s severe economic difficulty. It’s hard to figure out the exact situation in the reclusive North, but people in the highly regimented, totalitarian regime seem to have suffered from brutal human rights abuses, given the nation’s one-man leadership and the tattered economy. The North Korean human rights issue has now become one of the main discussion topics of international society, and many non-governmental organizations as well as the U.N. have released relevant reports. The United States enacted the North Korean Human Rights Act in 2004 to provide a legal basis to help improve the situation, and Japan adopted a similar law in 2006.

The European Union and Japan, which led the passage of the U.N. resolution on North Korea’s human rights in 2006, are reportedly working on the same scheme this year, with a resolution similar to that of last year. But this year’s draft resolution will evaluate the North Korean authorities’ prompt decision-making and their open attitude in the course of receiving international aid in the wake of the massive flooding in the nation. The resolution will also urge Pyongyang to give more support to international aid groups in the nation.
The human rights resolution adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Commission targeting a particular country is not legally binding, unlike U.N. Security Council’s resolution, which may entail economic or military sanctions. Even though the human rights resolution has no binding force, it may severely dent the image of the particular country and put some pressure on the nation on moral grounds.

The non-binding resolution on North Korea’s human rights seeks universal support for the philosophy that human rights should be protected and guaranteed. The United States stressed last week that North Korea’s human rights situation remains very high on its agenda, expressing hope that more countries will vote for the passage of the U.N. resolution this year. That means Washington will continue to show interest in the plight of the North Korean people and make efforts to remedy the situation. As a matter of fact, the international community has long tried to improve human rights infringement on North Koreans. A U.N. resolution was passed criticizing the Kim Jong-il regime for committing crimes against humanity aimed at its own citizens.

With the North Korean human rights issue becoming a grave international concern, the 53-member U.N. Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses for the first time in 2003. The top U.N. human rights watchdog passed a similar resolution for the following two years, and the U.N. General Assembly adopted the North Korean human rights resolution in 2005 and 2006. Last year, the resolution was approved by 99 nations, while 21 countries objected to it and 56 abstained. So, an overwhelming majority of the U.N. member countries voted for the resolution. Notably, there were more than 50 countries that abstained from the vote. For those who violate human rights of their own people, it must have been difficult to support the resolution.

South Korea either didn’t attend the voting session or abstained from voting on the U.N. Human Rights Commission resolution in three consecutive years since 2003. The U.N. General Assembly passed the North Korean human rights resolution for the first time in 2005 when Seoul unsurprisingly stayed away from the poll. However, South Korea voted for the resolution last year, drawing special attention. What decision will Seoul make on this year’s resolution? Dr. Kim explains.

South Korea didn’t attend the voting session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission in 2003 when a resolution on North Korea’s human rights abuses was first presented. South Korea also abstained from the 2004 and 2005 voting session of the commission, and then from the 2005 U.N. General Assembly’s voting. Seoul’s low-key attitude spawned much criticism both from home and abroad. Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test last year, and South Korea came under mounting pressure to take a tougher stance amid negative international sentiment toward the North. Moreover, former South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was elected as the U.N. secretary-general. Against this backdrop, Seoul decided to change its previous position and cast a yes vote on the U.N. resolution on North Korea’s human rights last year. Inter-Korean relations had been chilly even before Seoul voted for the resolution, so South Korea’s decision had little influence on subsequent inter-Korean ties. This year, however, the diplomatic situation is different. The international negotiations on North Korea’s denuclearization have been progressing smoothly and relations between South and North Korea have begun to pick up pace, following the second inter-Korean summit. The Seoul government is concerned that voting for the U.N. resolution on North Korean human rights may aggravate inter-Korean ties yet again.

North Korea regards the international call against its human rights issue as a political ploy to threaten the communist regime. The North Korean authorities are deeply worried about the potential influence of this issue on its reclusive society. South Korea must clarify its position toward North Korean human rights before the upcoming U.N. General Assembly’s voting session. It may be all the more difficult for Seoul to make a decision, given the positive development in the nuclear issue and relations with its communist neighbor. Nobody would deny the need for improving the dire human rights conditions in North Korea. It’s hoped that the ongoing international effort will help improve the lives of the North Korean people in a more pragmatic way. 　 [Interview] Marathon Race Highlights Wish for Peace and Unification
An eye-catching marathon race was held last Saturday in the Paju area, north of Seoul. The atmosphere surrounding the marathon was filled with peaceful sentiment for unification and attracted much attention before it even began. Participants were allowed to run through the Civilian Control Line near the country’s border with North Korea, which is declared off-limits to civilians. Let’s listen to Lee Young-jong, official of the Gyeonggi provincial government, tell us about the significance of the peace-advocating event.

We organized this sports festival, the first such event, to remind people of the tragic reality of the divided Korea and draw attention to our wish for reunification of Korea and world peace. The participants passed the Imjin Pavilion and the Unification Bridge, and finally crossed into the Civilian Control Line, which has been restricted to the public for more than half a century. In addition to the marathon race, the festival featured various cultural programs, including a display of war relics and a photo exhibition. Visitors were also allowed to ride on a carriage drawn by a donkey, a symbol of peace, to look around the festival venue.

The marathon race was divided into two courses—a 21-km half marathon course and a 10-km course. Participants became particularly excited at the thought of running across the Unification Bridge, which connects Imjin Pavilion in the South with the truce village of Panmunjeom.

…This is the first marathon course stretching into the Civilian Control Line. I want to run the whole course, if possible.

…I served in the military near this area. This is the first time I’ve been here in 30 years. A thousand emotions crowd my mind.

…I heard the marathon race might take place in Gaeseong next year. It’s a peace event, so I will run the whole course, praying for peace and unification.

Despite the chilly weather, the marathoners struck out on foot for their destination, starting from Imjin Pavilion. Some 8,000 participants were running against the cold wind, encouraging each other. The participants made the turn at 3 kilometers north of the Civilian Control Line, the area restricted to the public except for residents and soldiers. They had hoped to run all the way to Gaeseong and Pyongyang, as the sign indicates, but they had to alleviate their longing by taking photos of the historic spot. While running, they were also able to glance over some tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province, such as Imjin Pavilion and some parks on the way. Having drawn enthusiastic responses, the marathon event will be expanded next year to allow the participants to run from Imjin Pavilion to Gaeseong through the Military Demarcation Line. Mr. Lee has more.

It is 21 kilometers from Imjin Pavilion to Gaeseong. If the marathoners run both ways, it’s about 42 kilometers, a perfect full marathon course. We’re now planning on the marathon course covering Gaeseong and we hope for an even longer course stretching out to other parts of North Korea.