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At a conference on human rights in North Korea being held at the United Nations, South Korea expressed concern that the human rights situation in North Korea is getting worse.
North Korea strongly objected to the human rights issue raised by Western countries as having political intentions.
Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York reports.
<Reporter>
North Korea expressed strong dissatisfaction at a meeting held ahead of the introduction of the North Korean human rights resolution, the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly in charge of human rights issues.
He argued that Western countries, such as the United States and Europe, raised the issue of human rights in North Korea only for political purposes that had nothing to do with human rights.
[North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Seong: Today, human rights issues are being used as a tool for violating sovereignty.]
North Korean UN Ambassador Kim Seong said that trying to destroy the systems of other countries with different ideological systems is a violation of human rights. It was accused of racism in the self-proclaimed Western countries.
On the other hand, at this meeting, South Korea raised strong concerns about human rights in North Korea.
[Hwang Jun-guk/Korean Ambassador to the United Nations: We raise strong concerns about the worsening human rights situation in North Korea due to the COVID-19 outbreak.]
South Korean UN Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk said that those who spread Korean videos receive the death penalty, and viewers receive up to 15 prison sentences. The so-called 'Reactionary Ideology Culture Rejection Act' enacted last year was cited as an example of a sentence of one year in prison.
Ambassador Hwang also requested the release of information from North Korea regarding the case of an official of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries that was shot in the West Sea in 2020.
Since 2019, South Korea has not participated in the United Nations resolution on human rights in North Korea, considering inter-Korean relations.