South Korea, the United States and Japan have called for a meeting of the UN Security Council(UNSC) to discuss human rights abuses in North Korea.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters at the international body's headquarters in New York on Thursday that the North’s human rights abuses are closely linked to global peace and security as well.

The three nations were joined by Albania in requesting the public meeting of the 15-member Security Council set for next Thursday.

The U.S. ambassador reportedly said that if held, it would be the first formal UNSC meeting on the issue since 2017, adding that protecting people around the world is an integral part of the UN Charter and an important responsibility of the Security Council.

Thomas-Greenfield stressed that the Council must address the horrors, abuses and crimes perpetrated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s regime against its own people as well as the people of Japan and South Korea.