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While the government decided to vote in favor of a UN resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses when it comes up for the vote in the UN General Assembly, it will likely remain passive on the matter in its dealings with the North. A government official was quick to point out that the decision reflects no change in its policy of engagement with the North Korean regime.
Mum¡¯s the word
The EU-sponsored resolution calls for UN members to carry out their obligations in promoting human rights in North Korea but mentions no detailed measures. The EU and other countries behind the resolution, however, have been keeping the problem in the public eye by sponsoring or holding international conferences. They also support groups that help North Korean defectors and continue to produce reports on how North Korea abuses human rights.
But South Korean officials avoid any public remarks on the matter. Foreign minister nominee Song Min-soon, when asked at his confirmation hearing on Thursday, "Is North Korea a despotic state?" answered, ¡°It is difficult to answer that question in such a public setting.¡± When asked whether the government's decision to support the UN resolution would help North Korea improve its human rights, a government official said, "Any answer to that question could develop into a philosophical argument. Let's just say that the government wants to express its sympathy with the worries and opinions of the international community on the issue¡± -- a broad hint that it will not take any practical measures.
Aid
The resolution calls on North Korean authorities to cooperate in bringing humanitarian aid to every corner of the country according to humanitarian principles and urges members to cooperate in strengthening their monitoring of how such aid is distributed. The international community says it will resume food aid to the North once the issue is resolved, but Pyongyang rejects what it calls intervention in internal affairs. The general feeling is that the North can do this because it gets aid from South Korea and China without the need for monitoring. Asked whether the government will strengthen its monitoring of aid now that it decided to support the UN resolution, an official merely answered, "We have sought to promote human rights in the North on our own.¡±
What the pundits say
"The government will particularly emphasize the right to survival of North Koreans among other kinds of human rights," says Nam Sung-wook, a North Korea specialist at Korea University, said. "It could return to its original position when a resolution calling for concrete measures against the North is tabled in the future.¡± A researcher with a state-run research institute said the government ¡°only announced its decision to vote for the resolution but has made public nothing about what it will do about it in detail." "It¡¯s doubtful whether it will stick to the decision if the North strongly opposes it,¡± he said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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