China blocked the U.S. from broadcasting the informal Security Council meeting globally on the internet, a decision criticized by U.S. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, North Korea has been isolated. Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special investigator on human rights in North Korea, also stressed “the interdependence of international peace and security and human rights,” saying peace and denuclearization can’t be addressed without considering the current human rights violations. She told the meeting that the limited information available shows the suffering of the North Korean people has increased and their already limited liberties have declined. “In the DPRK, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction always, always trumps human rights and humanitarian needs of its people,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 18, 2023 21:22 UTC