The annual resolution, adopted for the 20th consecutive year, condemns North Korea for "continuing to divert its resources into pursuing its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes over the welfare of its people."
"This is just the latest in a line of resolutions presented every year for the past 20 years. Unfortunately, in all that time, the situation of human rights in [North Korea] has remained a matter of very serious concern," said a representative from the European Union to the UN in a statement.
Kim Sang-jin, Seoul's deputy representative to the UN also urged Pyongyang to heed the assembly's "ongoing concerns."
"It is with a heavy heart, however, that there has been no, no improvement, but rather deterioration in North Korea, systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, which amount to crimes against humanity," he said.
But North Korea rejected the resolution, with its UN Ambassador Kim Song calling it "a document of political plot fabricated for the ulterior purpose of defaming the dignity of [North Korea] and negating its ideology and system outright, with no bearing on the promotion and protection of genuine human rights."
The resolution "tabled by EU every year at the instigation of the U.S. is a false paper worthy of no deliberation at all as it is full of fabrication and falsehood," he added.
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