Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se addresses the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Thursday. / AFP-Yonhap



Yun urges action against Pyongyang's human rights violations

By Jun Ji-hye

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se questioned North Korea's qualifications as a member of the United Nations in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Thursday.

Yun said the Kim Jong-un regime is "totally ridiculing" the authority of the global body by continuing its military provocations.

This is the first time that South Korea has officially taken issue with the North's U.N. membership since the two Koreas joined the body in 1991 simultaneously.

His remarks came as additional punitive measures are being discussed at the U.N. following the North's fifth and the most powerful nuclear test, Sept. 9. The North claimed it detonated a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can be mounted on a ballistic missile.

"It is crystal clear that North Korea, as a serial offender, has manifestly failed to uphold its pledge to abide by the obligations in the U.N. Charter, particularly to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council," Yun said. "Therefore, I believe that it is high time to seriously consider whether North Korea is qualified to be a peace-loving U.N. member, as many countries are already questioning."

The North's latest nuclear test, which followed a series of ballistic missile launches, came eight months after the fourth test. This is the first time for the North to conduct two tests in a year.

The repressive state pushed ahead with the fifth test even after the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2270 that contained the toughest sanctions yet on Pyongyang in March for the fourth test in January and a long-range rocket launch the following month.

In response to the resolution, however, Kim ordered North Korean officials to conduct a nuclear warhead test and more ballistic missiles launches as soon as possible, claiming that his regime had the full capacity to carry out pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

Yun said the North has fired a total of 22 ballistic missiles this year alone and indicated it is close to completing its nuclear and missile programs.

The minister added that a more serious concern is the North has threatened to actually use the nuclear weapons, noting that it would take only four to five minutes for the North to strike South Korea.

Yun said Seoul has no choice but to take defensive measures against mounting threats from the reclusive state, apparently, and indirectly, justifying the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery on South Korean soil.

He then urged the UNSC to adopt "stronger and comprehensive" sanctions to punish the North to make it much harder for Pyongyang to get its hands on money and materials that can be used to help its nuclear and missile programs.

"The council should adopt stronger, comprehensive sanctions that go beyond Resolution 2270. It should close the loopholes in that resolution and further expand and reinforce existing sanctions," Yun said.

North Korea's repeated violations and non-compliance with UNSC resolutions and international norms is unprecedented, he said.

"It shows that North Korea is totally ridiculing the authority of the General Assembly and the Security Council," he added.

On the issue of the dire human rights situation in the North, he slammed the Kim regime for conducting the nuclear test at a time when the country has been suffering from severe flooding that has reportedly caused the loss of many lives.

It is estimated that North Korea has spent at least $200 million on this year's nuclear tests and missile firings, a sufficient sum that could have been used for flood relief, he said.

Severe flooding in North Hamgyong Province in North Korea ― affected by the heaviest rains since 1945 ― has left 138 people dead, 400 missing and at least 140,000 in immediate need of assistance, including 69,000 who have been forced to leave their homes, according to the United Nations.

Yun called for "action" to prevent human rights abuses in the North and to hold those behind them accountable.