North Korea Accused of "Horrific" Human Rights Violations in Pursuit of Nuclear and Ballistic Weapons

On Thursday, North Korea was accused in the United Nations Security Council of committing "horrific" human rights violations against its people to develop its nuclear and ballistic weapons programs in the face of international sanctions.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated through a video message that "many of the alleged violations contribute to the growing militarization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

At the request of the United States, which currently presides over the Security Council in August, this public session was held for two hours and focused on human rights in North Korea. This marked the first session of its kind since 2017.

Türk added that "the widespread use of forced labor, including political prisoners and schoolchildren in forced harvests, as well as the confiscation of wages of overseas workers, all support the state's military apparatus and its ability to manufacture weapons."