No candidate event for comparison

Update

North Korea rejects EU resolution on human rights, telling Europe to mind its own business

The North Korean mission to the United Nations strongly rejected the European Union's draft resolution on human rights, calling it a 'politically motivated provocation' and a distortion of the country's reality. The official KCNA news agency reported that Pyongyang considers the accusations baseless, insisting that European states should 'mind their own business'. The North Korean diplomatic mission emphasized that human rights are not the monopoly of the West. ^[2]

North Korean officials labeled the European initiative as a 'farce'. In its statement, the diplomatic mission cited recent protests in several European cities, including Paris and Brussels, arguing that demonstrators are calling for the respect of fundamental rights and thereby illustrating the West's neglect of these values in favor of a hypocritical stance. ^[2]

Authorities in Pyongyang used these examples to challenge the legitimacy of criticisms made by the European Union, denying the existence of serious human rights issues reported by international organizations. ^[2]

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted annual resolutions since 2005 condemning human rights violations in North Korea. The regime is consistently accused of maintaining a system of political repression, with severe restrictions on freedom of expression, movement, and access to information, including the existence of detention camps for political prisoners. ^[2]

The North Korean judicial system remains inaccessible to independent observers, and detention conditions are difficult to verify. However, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned in 2025 that the situation has not improved over the past decade but has worsened in various areas. ^[2]

The EU-backed draft resolution is scheduled to be examined in November by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. If approved, the document will go to the General Assembly plenary for a final vote, increasing diplomatic pressure without imposing automatic sanctions or mandatory legal force. ^[2]

Update

North Korea tells EU to 'mind its own business' after resolution criticizing the Pyongyang regime

The North Korean mission to the United Nations firmly rejected the European Union's draft resolution on human rights, calling it a 'politically motivated provocation' and a distortion of the country's reality. The official KCNA news agency reported that Pyongyang considers the accusations baseless, insisting that European states should 'mind their own business'. The North Korean diplomatic mission emphasized that human rights are not the monopoly of the West. ^[3]

The North has long been accused by the UN and other critics of serious and systematic human rights violations, including the operation of detention camps and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information. At the same time, very little is known about the country's criminal justice system. ^[3]

The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution every year, since 2005, condemning human rights violations in North Korea. ^[3]

The EU has once again presented a 'draft resolution' that blatantly distorts the politics and human rights situation of the DPRK, ^[3]

North Korea characterized the move as 'a farce' and 'a politically motivated provocation'. 'Human rights are certainly not the monopoly of the West,' the statement said. ^[3]

In European cities, from Paris to Brussels, where the EU headquarters is located, the streets are filled with protesters from all social categories who demand respect for fundamental rights, such as the right to life, ^[3]

The EU would do better to mind its own business rather than exaggerating alleged 'human rights issues', which do not even exist, ^[3]

The draft resolution is to be adopted by the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly this month, before being submitted for final approval by the General Assembly plenary. ^[3]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated last year that the human rights situation in North Korea has not improved in the last ten years and that, in many cases, it has deteriorated. ^[3]

North Korea is one of the most repressive, bloody, and closed dictatorship regimes in the world. ^[3]

Update

South Korea supports the EU resolution against human rights in North Korea

South Korea will become a co-sponsor of the European human rights draft resolution at the UN, continuing a trend of renewed diplomatic support for criticizing the Pyongyang regime. Seoul decided to support the initiative, marking the fifth consecutive year of participation in co-sponsoring, after a break during the period 2019-2021 when the country was led by the liberal administration of President Moon Jae-in. The draft resolution is scheduled to be examined in the current month by the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly before being submitted for a final vote in the plenary. ^[4]

Update

North Korea rejects EU resolution on human rights: 'Better off minding its own business'

The government in Pyongyang has strongly rejected a draft resolution proposed by the European Union at the UN on human rights, characterizing the initiative as a 'politically motivated provocation' and a 'farce'. In a statement carried by the official KCNA agency, the North Korean mission to the UN called on the community block to 'mind its own business' and focus on its own problems, emphasizing that 'human rights are not the monopoly of the West'. ^[5]

The regime in North Korea has long been accused by the UN and other international organizations of systematic human rights violations, including the administration of detention camps, severe restriction of freedom of expression and access to information. The North Korean criminal justice system remains hidden from independent observers, characterized by a complete lack of transparency. ^[5]

The diplomatic mission reiterated that the European document blatantly distorts the political reality and the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), rejecting the legitimation of external criticisms. Pyongyang rejected the accusations as baseless, while simultaneously citing social protests in European cities such as Paris and Brussels to highlight what it considers Western hypocrisy in promoting democratic values. North Korean officials conveyed that the EU would do better to deal with domestic issues rather than promoting non-existent 'human rights issues' in the DPRK. ^[5]

The draft resolution is scheduled to be examined in the course of this month by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs) of the United Nations General Assembly, and if approved, will be submitted for a final vote in the plenary. ^[5]

A previous year UN report highlighted that North Koreans are subjected to punishments, including executions, for acts such as watching foreign films. According to this 14-page report, the North Korean dictatorship has expanded the use of the death penalty, which often involves shooting, as part of a strategy to establish a culture of fear and isolate citizens from external cultural influences. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report states that 'no other population in the world today is subjected to such restrictions', highlighting the extreme isolation of North Korean society. In the last 10 years, at least six new laws have been adopted in North Korea, increasing the likelihood of applying the death penalty for a wide range of offenses, including viewing and distributing foreign media content, including TV episodes and movies. ^[5]