Jeong Dongyoung: "Not Participating as Joint Sponsor of North Korean Human Rights Resolution Is the Right Direction"

"North Korea Views This as a Representative Hostile Policy... No Reason for Us to Push Forward and Bear the Burden"

Jeong Dongyoung, Minister of Unification, stated that it is "the right direction" for South Korea not to participate as a "joint sponsoring country" of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council resolution on North Korean human rights. The current administration is deliberating whether or not to participate as a joint sponsor.

Jeong Dongyoung, Minister of Unification, is giving the opening speech at the Ministry of Unification and Korea Institute for National Unification joint academic conference titled "Paradigm Shift in Korea Policy for Ending Hostility and Coexisting Peacefully on the Korean Peninsula," held on the 25th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 26th, at the Seoul Government Complex, Minister Jeong said, "There are arguments within the government advocating for jointly sponsoring the UN human rights resolution, but North Korea sees this as a representative hostile policy," adding, "There is no reason for us to push ahead while accepting those consequences."

He continued, "We must realize the three principles of North Korea policy and put them into actual practice," emphasizing, "Since we have declared that we will not carry out any hostile acts, we must maintain consistency with that stance."

The three principles toward North Korea include respecting North Korea's regime, rejecting unification by absorption, and prohibiting hostile acts. Previously, President Lee Jaemyung highlighted these principles during last year's Liberation Day as well as this year's March 1st Movement anniversary.

The government is currently deliberating whether to participate as a joint sponsor of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on North Korean human rights, which is scheduled for adoption at the end of this month. The UN adopts a resolution on North Korean human rights at the Human Rights Council in the first half of each year and again at the UN General Assembly in the second half. South Korea did not participate in the resolution from 2019 to 2022 under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, but did participate from 2023 to 2025 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

After the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, South Korea participated as a joint sponsor in the second half of last year, but did not join as an "early joint sponsor" in the current resolution, for which the application deadline was March 18. However, it is still possible to join as a joint sponsor within an additional two-week period after the adoption. The government appears likely to make its decision after thoroughly reviewing the matter during this period.

Meanwhile, regarding the plan to restore the 9·19 Military Agreement, Minister Jeong stated, "The direction has already been set," and added, "The timing will be decided after considering the situation, including developments in the Middle East."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.