Abuja – South Korea has urged Nigeria to use its membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council to put pressure on North Korea to improve on its human rights record.
South Korean ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Noh Kyu-duk, made the call on Thursday in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Noh said that as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Nigeria’s was a good position to contribute towards peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
“Nigeria is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council that handles issues related to international peace and stability.
“Currently, North Korea is threatening the stability and peace in Northeast Asia by developing nuclear weapons and the long range missile programme.
“A few years ago, the United Nations Security Council adopted several resolutions to prevent North Korea from this kind of project but still it’s not listening to the international community”, he said.
He said North Korea carried out another round of nuclear tests, adding that “your government can take some kind of initiative by criticising North Korea’s actions.’’
He said the UN, in June, opened a new office in Seoul to monitor North Korea’s human rights records after it condemned the country for its gross human rights violations.
He also said that the UN’s human rights body, in Geneva in March, adopted a resolution against over its poor human rights record.
According to the Human Rights Watch 2014 report, North Korea, under its leader Kim Jung Un, remains among the most repressive countries in the world.
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In the report, North Korea is also alleged to have severely restricted all basic freedoms.
The ambassador, therefore, demanded more pressure from the international community to make North Korea to improve on its human rights records.
“As a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Nigerian government can do something with regards to this issue”, he told NAN. (NAN)
