Voice of America (VOA) reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to improve human rights conditions in North Korea in his report to the General Assembly.
 
VOA said Tuesday that the report calls for a bold reform of the North Korean regime as a remedy to its serious human rights violations.
 
In the report, the UN chief said the North Korean people are denied the rights to feed themselves properly and stay in good health, adding that the rights of children, women and people with disabilities are not respected in North Korea.
 
The UN secretary-general said the North needs to overhaul its regime and economic system to protect and promote the basic rights of North Koreans.
 
Ban welcomed North Korea’s recent moves to actively embrace international efforts to promote human rights, noting Pyongyang's participation in a universal periodic review of the UN Human Rights Council and its ratification of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
 
He added that such moves can serve as a starting point for North Korea to expand dialogue and exchanges with the international community.