On Nov. 17, 1905, Korea was deprived of diplomatic sovereignty when it signed the protectorate treaty with Japan. Exactly 100 years later, on Nov. 17, 2005, our government abstained on a UN resolution condemning the violation of human rights in North Korea. It was Lee Sung-yoon, Kim Koo research associate at the Korea Institute, Harvard University, who pointed out the coincidence of dates, saying the “infamy” of the latter was on a par with that of the former. "And the abstention by the South Korean government on that day, if not the details of the resolution itself, will cast a long shadow. Like the shameful events of 1905, it will not soon be forgotten."

The criticism is harsh; but is it excessive? The South Korean government voted for a similar resolution condemning the abysmal human rights record in North Korea in 2006, but abstained again this year. This is not only "national humiliation" but also a world-class farce. A Korea analyst based in Washington said sarcastically, "The South Korean government may have evidence showing that the human rights situation in North Korea has greatly improved."

Over the past two years, South Korean diplomats in the U.S. have had to keep their heads down as their home government has vacillated between abstention, endorsement and then abstention again in the UN on resolutions condemning the human rights situation in North Korea. They were unhappy with President Roh Moo-hyun's instruction to abstain again, because they have a full understanding of the international atmosphere surrounding the issue. "The home government must have made the decision mindful of possible resistance from North Korea,” one diplomat mumbled. Another said, "No comment."

South Korean diplomats in the U.S. have long told their government what the international community thinks about the matter, suggesting that Seoul take the initiative for a change. Part of their views were disclosed to the public in May 2005 in a report released by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.

At the time, the commission compiled a report on Korean diplomats' views of the North Korean human rights situation based on their interviews at the Embassy in Washington, the Consulate General in New York, and the Permanent Mission to the UN. According to the report, South Korean diplomats said if the government continues to be absent or abstain from voting on such UN resolutions, “it will be hard to win understanding from the international community." Others said the South cannot persuade the international community if it continues to give priority to the special relationship between the two Koreas. “We should approach the international community based on the logic of human rights, if we want to convince it of the Korean government's position,” one commented.

The diplomats, according to the report, instead suggested Seoul put the issue of human rights violations on the agenda during inter-Korean talks. That was why they heaved a sigh of relief when South Korea voted for the 2006 resolution.

But only a year later, Roh makes the stunning decision that is now causing South Korean diplomats again to slink about with their eyes on the ground. The president, whose term ends in about three months, made a decision that embarrassed diplomats who have long studied the human rights situation in North Korea and watched public opinion in the international community. He deserves all the criticism he gets, and more. And we need to find out what efforts Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and Kim Hyun-chong, the ambassador to the UN, made to persuade him.

This column was contributed by Lee Ha-won, the Chosun Ilbo's correspondent in Washington.