The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested ambassadors from the Peace Club to support the international community’s united response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and human rights violations.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 30th, Jeon Young-hee, head of the Peace and Diplomacy Planning Group, held a roundtable for diplomatic corps members stationed in Korea belonging to the Peace Club.
This is the first Peace Club event of the year. The Peace Club is a consultative body between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 20 diplomatic missions stationed in North Korea.
Director Jeon said the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the South Korean government’s response, including North Korea’s aggressive behavior, such as resuming West Sea artillery fire and ballistic and cruise missile launches this year, followed North Korean State Affairs Chairman Kim Jong-un’s definition of inter-Korean relations as “two hostile countries” at the end of last year. The direction was explained.
He defined North Korea’s behavior as a ‘politically provocative act’ that seeks to forget our people and history and divide our society, and expressed his intention to respond sternly.
He also pointed out that North Korea admitted at a recent expanded meeting of the Party’s Political Bureau that it was in a “very pitiful state, unable to provide even basic necessities, including basic food, to local people.”
In particular, he emphasized that North Korea’s human rights issues need attention from the international community as they are related not only to the Korean Peninsula but also to international peace and security, given that North Korea’s weapons development resources are generated through forced labor and exploitation of its residents. Citing the fact that the European Union announced that it will continue to address North Korean human rights issues as one of the major human rights issues at this year’s UN stage, the South Korean government’s acceptance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council has stimulated discussions within the Security Council to improve the human rights situation in North Korea. He also said that he would work hard to make it happen.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report on human rights in North Korea this year, Director Jeon repeatedly requested interest and support from peace club countries that have diplomatic relations with North Korea.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the diplomatic corps in Korea, affiliated with the Peace Club, expressed gratitude for the former director’s explanation and responded that they would take special interest in North Korean issues and continue to cooperate.
Source: Donga
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