North Korea "Strongest Response to US Provocations"... Security Council Human Rights Meeting Backlash

US Requests... Security Council to Discuss North Korea Human Rights Violations on 17th
North Korea Issues Foreign Ministry 'Statement' After 5 Years... Highest-Level Backlash

North Korea has announced a super-strong response, calling the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) upcoming discussion on North Korea's human rights violations a 'vile provocation' by the United States. Notably, it expressed its stance at the highest level through a statement for the first time in five years and six months, indicating the strongest level of backlash.

On the 13th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, through the Korean Central News Agency, stated in a statement, "The atrocious hostile acts of the United States have reached a grave situation that cannot be overlooked," and claimed, "Coinciding with large-scale war exercises by the United States and South Korea, the United States, together with its followers, is coercively attempting to hold an unofficial meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss our non-existent 'human rights issue'."

UN [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to foreign media, the UNSC is scheduled to hold an informal meeting on the 17th to discuss North Korea's human rights violations. The United States and Albania, who requested the meeting, pointed out in the request document, "North Korea's human rights violations and abuses threaten international peace and security and are directly related to its illicit weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also strongly condemned and completely rejected "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's view of the United States' vile human rights pressure campaign as the most concentrated expression of hostile policy against Korea," and threatened, "We solemnly declare once again that we will respond with super-strong measures to the most vile hostile and conspiratorial acts of the United States and its followers to thoroughly protect the sovereignty and rights of our state."

In particular, it argued, "It has become a fixed pattern of the United States' shabby bad habit to gather ragtag followers and cling to human rights pressure campaigns whenever they are cornered and helpless over the nuclear issue," and "The anti-Republic human rights confrontation campaign that the United States futilely pursues only reveals that they are being pushed to the final stage where they can no longer endure the power confrontation with us."

North Korea launches two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine / Korean Central News Agency [Image source=Yonhap News]

A notable point in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement that day is the format of an 'institutional statement.' The hierarchy of North Korean institutions' positions generally descends in the order of ▲institutional statement ▲spokesperson statement ▲spokesperson talk ▲press Q&A, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issuing a statement is the first time in five years and six months since September 2017. At that time, North Korea threatened the United States, which was leading discussions on sanctions against North Korea at the Security Council, saying it would "make them suffer unprecedented embarrassment."

North Korea issuing an 'institutional statement' regarding this informal meeting indicates that it is reacting sensitively to the discussion on North Korean human rights and shows its determination not to overlook this matter.

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, evaluated, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the Security Council's movements with a high-level institutional statement rather than a personal statement for the first time in a long while, explicitly labeling the pressure from the United States and the international community as a 'hostile policy against Korea.' It appears to be an attempt to preemptively block the international community's human rights pressure and seek a united response with socialist countries such as China and Russia."

Meanwhile, North Korea announced the previous day that the submarine '8·24 Hero Ship' fired two strategic cruise missiles in the waters of Gyeongpo Bay in the East Sea. Gyeongpo Bay is the sea area off Hongwon County, South Hamgyong Province, near the Sinpo area where submarine facilities are located. The Korean Central News Agency reported, "The two launched strategic cruise missiles flew a figure-eight flight path simulating the 1500 km baseline set in the East Sea of Korea for 7563 to 7575 seconds (2 hours 6 minutes 3 seconds to 2 hours 6 minutes 15 seconds) and hit the target accurately," and "Through the underwater launch training, our army's unwavering position to control and manage the current situation, where the anti-Republic military provocations of the U.S. imperialists and South Korean puppet forces are becoming blatant, with overwhelming and powerful force from start to finish, was clearly expressed."