North Korea Fires Back at UN “Slander” Amid Human Rights Tussle
In a flurry of hot‑headed diplomacy, a North Korean organisation blasted a United Nations report as a “malicious slander” Tuesday (Oct 26). The re‑cent submission by Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, paints a grim picture of a country slipping deeper into isolation during the pandemic and putting the country’s most vulnerable at risk of starvation.
Ojea Quintana’s Take: Starvation, Sanctions and Camp Abuse
- Starvation risk: The rapporteur warned that people with the lowest incomes could fall through the cracks as food supplies dwindle.
- Sanctions: He urged the international community to ease sanctions tied to North Korea’s nuclear programme so that more aid can flow in.
- Political prisons: Ojea Quintana was not shy about calling out the harsh realities of political prison camps.
- COVID‑19 lockdowns: He also criticised the self‑imposed border closures that tragically worsened living conditions.
The Korean Reply: “Slander” and a “US‑Backed Scheme”
The Korea Association for Human Rights Studies hit back with a fiery statement of its own, condemning the report as “distorting our reality.” A spokesperson slammed the UN envoy for “viciously picking” on the state’s anti‑epidemic measures. According to KCNA, North Korea does not accept Ojea Quintana’s mandate and portrays him as part of a US‑backed scheme designed to meddle with domestic affairs.
In the statement, the association proudly asserted: “Our state takes full responsibility for the life security and livelihood of our people; we have never asked anyone to worry about our living conditions.” It even chuckled that the especial report was “like a kid muttering in a classroom no one believed.”
Kim’s Own Admissions
Leader Kim Jong Un, in June, called last year’s food situation “tense” after a string of natural disasters and openly acknowledged that citizens had to shoulder sacrifices during the pandemic. North Korea remains steadfastly silent on any COVID‑19 cases, keeping its borders locked and travel severely curtailed.
Bottom Line
While the UN envoy pushes for humanitarian relief, the Korean diplomats remain staunchly protective of their narrative—blaming external interference and double‑talk. The drama continues as both sides dodge, dive, and double‑check how the world’s eye will care about a nation that insists, in its own words: “No outsiders meddling with our people’s lives.”
