Republic of Korea Democratic People's NATIONS TO MISSION THEUNITED PERMANENT N.Y 10017 NewYork, 13thFloor, 820 SecondAvenue, Tel: (212) 972-3105/3106 Fax: (212) 972-3154 Press Release CheckagainstdeliverY Mr. KIM CHANG GUK by Statement H.E,. of Representative the Deputy Permanent Ambassador, Republicof Koreato the LfN People's Democratrc of of at the Third Committee 61stsession the I-INGA "Human rights questions, including item 67(b) underthe agenda for alternatt,r.upproaches improving the effective enjoymentof freedoms" humanriehts and fundamental 95(2006) Juche 30 October, New York Mr. Chairman, on to The Charterof the United Nations mandatedits memberstates settleall issues the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty and non-interferencein internal affairs and in the manner of coooeration. However,we are now witnessingthe grim reality that the principlesof equalityand respectlor "strengthis justice" and that rampantpressure sovereigntyhave beenreplacedwith the old conceptionof in and interference internal affairs have prevailedover the cooperation' Regardlessof the trend of history towards peace and security, some forces keep on committing such illegal and evil acts as invading other countries outside its territory and slaughteringinnocent dividing the civilians at random in thesecountriesfor the sakeof their own strategicand selfish interests, "good or evil" and "democraticor dictatorialstates"' world into Mr. Chairman, "war againstterrorism" pursuedby the US and the recent massacre civilians rn of The illegal Lebanon perpetratedby israel were barbarousacts that had gone beyond the moral and humanitarian limits and utterly ignored not only the international laws and human rights but also international community. Last November an Iraqi woman with her baby in her arms who was pleading for her life was of cruelly killed by the US marine corps in Hadithah,Iraq. She is only one among hundredsof thousands civilians who were slaughteredUy ttre US Army in Iraq. Even at this moment innocent civilians are as "terrorists" and unjustly killed in Iraq due to the illegal military occupationof the US' suspected of Slaughtering civilians has not ceasedby the U.S. and its followers this year, too. To give a sirnpleexample,55 civiliansincluding21 childrenwere killed in Qanavillage, Lebanonduring one night of July 30 by indiscriminatenight bombing of Israeli invaders. of The invasion upon Lebanon by the Israel under the active patronageof the US is a massacre a killed even children and women. This constitutes crime againsthumanity civilians which mercilessly which can neverbe justified. Today, nothing is more important and urgent for the internationalcommunity than to vehemently to of the invasionupon a sovereignstate and massacre civilians and take measures prevent denounce recurrence suchtragicincident. of such crimes againsthumanity.It is deplorable, This committeeshouldbe a model in denouncing however,that the committeeis convertedinto a place of taking issues,on the contrary,with independent criminals' of and high-handedness shameless developingcountriesand into a sceneof arbitrariness and In particular, the US, an arch criminal of Iraqi and Lebanesecrisis, deservescondemnation ';ajudge of humanrights". This can not be construed to The US, however,seeks style itself denunciation. crvins for thief. othenvise than a thief Mr. Chairman, A pressingissuein improving the effective enjoymentof human rights and fundamentalfreedoms is to put an end to invasion upon and interference internal affairs of sovereignstatesperpetrated under in the pretext of "protection of human rights". Human rights are misusedby the US and its followers as the weapon to invoke strengthand the pretext to invade and interfere in internal affairs of independent countries. We can cite a number of casesthat the US and the UK found fault with "human rights" of and put pressureupon, and finally invade the countries,which hold strategicimportanceand do not curry favor with the formers.For instance, US invadedGrenada, islet country in 1983,and Panama 1989 in the the "protection under the pretexts of of human rights". It is also a well-known fact that the US and the West had dealt with Afghanistan,Kosovo and Iraq as the subjectsof resolutionsin the (JN human rights fora over l0 yearsbefore their military operationsagainstthem. The historyclearlyprovesthat the armedinvasionupon and military occupation sovereign states of "protection under the pretext of of human rights" causedworst violation of human rights, gave rise to regionaldisputeand imposedtragicdisaster upon civilians. Human rights immediately means sovereignty.Human rights apart from sovereignty of a state means nothing. People enjoy human rights by the legal and institutional guarantees their sovereign of stateswithin the territory where the sovereignty of their states are exercised,not by the dint of the arrogantinstructionsor strengthof the US or the westerncountries. If the US and the West truly wish global protectionand promotion of human rights they should not abuse the human rights as a tool for realizing their global strategy or an excuse for invading other countries and interfering in their internal affairs. Otherwise,their assertionon human rights can not but be construed a camouflage concealtheir ambitionfor aggression. as to Mr. Chairman, Another pressing issue in improving the effective enjoyrnent of human rights and fundamental freedom is to put an end to double standards and selectivity in dealing with human rights issues. The way of the westerncountries dealingwith humanrights issues individual countriesvaries of in accordingto time and place, and it is a substantial stumbling block for the activities of interrational community for protection and promotion of human rights. The EU took the lead in initiating a specialsession the Commissionon Human Rights on the of issueof the former Yugoslavia, the but rejectedthe proposalof the developingcountriesto address issue of illegal aggression upon Iraq by the US put in the Commission. The EU has repeatedly assertedthat it will inquire into and call to account for any violation of human rights committed at anytime and any place.But it has kept mum about slaughteringof civilians by the U.S. in Iraq and the torture and maltreatmentof the detaineesin the US military prisons abroad deepconcerns. including in Guantanamo, aboutwhich the Human Rights Committee recently expressed which had been already In particular,the EU brings out the abductionissueof a few Japanese, settled,ai a pending issueevery year, while keeping mum aboutthe crimes againsthumanity committed by the Japan against Korean people such as the kidnapping and forcible drafting of 8'4 million, "comfort women" for the Japanese military' of slaughtering one million and two hundredthousands of "standardof human rights" appliedby the EU is fair, it shouldtake up, first of all, the crimes If the human rights situationof the countriesin its own region' committedby the US, Israel and Japan,^and However,the EU is remainingsilentin this regard. to In dealing with the human rights issues,the EU should apply the same standards any country, and big or small, an ally or not and noi disguisethe acts conductedout of their political consideration "demo"r-u"y" and "protection of human rights". Otherwise, the EU's national interests as acts for "hypocrisy" and nobody will pay attentionto it' assertion human rights can be nothing but on Mr. Chairman, by along the way chosen its people The DemocraticPeople'sRepublicof Korea steadilyadvance without any socio-political chaos and fiustration even in the face of the uninterruptedpolitical pressure, economicblockade and constantmilitary threatby the US and hostile forces. of by politicspursued the government the DPRK which enjoys This is thanksto the peopie-centred full supporlfrom its people. social Of course, it does not mean that our people are well-off materially. However, there are no illiteracy,violenceandprostitution. troublessuchas unemployment, with Everyone lives with confidenceand optimism under the systemwhere everyoneis provided free of charge. and dwelling houses free medicalcare,freeeducation rights The governmentof the DPRK will further consolidateand develop our own socialisthuman make system centred on popular massesunder the banner of the Juche idea in the future, too and of genuine human continued efforts for the iustice of the world and for the protection and promotion rights. Thank you.