According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Tuesday, the resolution was passed unanimously by consensus at the council's 61st session in Geneva last Sunday, with South Korea among the 50 co-sponsoring countries.
Such resolutions have been adopted annually since 2003, with this year's marking the 24th consecutive year of international condemnation.
Shifting slightly from broad condemnation, the council assessed North Korea's commitments made during its 2024 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process that examines the human rights record of every UN member state every five to six years. North Korea underwent its fourth such review in the fall of 2024.
It then stressed the importance of engagement including inter-Korean talks to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.
The ministry said, "We will continue working with the international community to help bring tangible improvements to the human rights of North Koreans."
South Korea participated as a co-sponsor from 2008 to 2018 but abstained from 2019 under the Moon Jae-in government as part of rapprochement efforts with North Korea. It returned as a co-sponsor in 2023 under the subsequent conservative government.
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