The United Nations is expected to put to a vote its new resolution on North Korea’s human rights conditions in mid-December.
 
A UN official made the remark on Tuesday, noting that this year's resolution contains strong measures to call for bringing the North Korean human rights violations to the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC). 
 
The official said the resolution, which is based on a report issued by the Commission of Inquiry (COI), is likely to be adopted even it if it's put to a vote. 
 
He said, however, more countries are likely to vote against or abstain from voting compared to the past. The official said China, Iran and some African countries have expressed opposition to the new resolution.
 
The European Union and Japan, which jointly drafted the resolution, along with the some 50 countries that co-sponsored it are closely watching for the possibility that countries that side with the North will present a revised resolution.
 
The official said none of the countries that co-sponsored the resolution are considering revisions in the wake of the North’s move to release two detained Americans.
 
The previous resolution was adopted last year without going through a voting procedure.