Source: European Parliament
The general objective for United Nations (UN) resolutions remains to address the overall human rights situation, and in the case of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to address the systemic, gross and widespread human rights violations.
While the outcome and final text of such resolutions always depends on negotiations in Geneva and New York with the wider UN membership, it remains the EU’s policy to maintain the emphasis on the overall human rights situation, including recent developments and systemic violations. It does not preclude that on rare occasions, such as the ones referred to by the Honourable Member, there can be exceptions.
The EU calls attention to individual cases in its statements, notably during general debates or interactive dialogues at the UN. In addition, there is also a constraint in the sense that referring to an individual case requires having reliable sources of information.
Due consideration is given to applying the ‘do no harm’ principle, sought through contacts with civil society and representatives of victims and their families.
Following the Honourable Member’s written question (E-002674/2024) and input received from other stakeholders, the EU in 2025 has made a particular effort to strengthen the UN Human Rights Council resolution on the situation of human rights in the DPRK with additional language on the topic of arbitrary detention of foreigners in the DPRK.