Statement by H.E. Mr. CHO Tae-yul
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of Korea
at the High-level Segment of the 28thSession of the
UN Human Rights Council

 
Mr. President,
 
Seventy years ago, the United Nations was born to save humanity from the calamities of war and to protect human dignity and values.
 
Regrettably, however, the face of today’s world that the 70 year-old UN has been painstakingly looking after is a far cry from what its founders had envisioned.
 
Barbaric human rights violations such as torture, forced disappearance, racial discrimination and sexual violence remain rampant in all corners of the world. The horrors we are witnessing in Syria and Iraq are a challenge that poses a grave threat to humanity as a whole.
 
In order for the UN to overcome these challenges and leave a better world to our next generation in which the vision of the UN founders can be realized, it should retrace its steps back to the spirit of humanism.
 
(Strengthening Human Rights Mechanism)
 
In order to shape people-centered world, the UN system as a whole, not to mention the Human Rights Council which is the bastion for promoting and protecting human rights, should seek new changes.
 
First, all UN member states should double their efforts to eradicate the practice of impunity towards human rights violations and secure accountability. We should also take a human rights-centered perspective in addressing crises requiring the collective response of the international community, such as armed conflicts, Ebola epidemics and natural disasters.
 
Second, further efforts should be made to mainstream human rights across the whole spectrum of UN activities. In particular, it is critical to actively implement the Rights Up Front initiative of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in preventing human rights violations.
 
Third, more work needs to be done to enhance the efficiency of the management of the Human Rights Council. In this context, the initiative by the new President, Ambassador Joachim Ruecker, is timely. And we look forward to active and substantive discussions on the initiative.
 
In order to bring about such changes to the UN system, the central role of OHCHR is critical. I am confident that OHCHR will turn into a more robust and efficient institution, under the distinguished leadership of High Commissioner Prince Zeid.
 
(Human Rights Situation in the DPRK)
 
Mr. President,
 
Last year, the international community took a meaningful step towards resolving a serious human rights problem whose resolution is long-overdue.
 
The Commission of Inquiry (COI) on human rights situation in the DPRK, established by the Human Rights Council, conducted an objective and independent study and concluded that there were grave, systematic and widespread human rights violations in the DPRK, and that many of them constituted ‘crimes against humanity’. The commission strongly urged the DPRK to take concrete and substantial measures to improve the human rights situation, including dismantling political prison camps.
 
Moreover, following the adoption of the resolutions reflecting the COI recommendations both at the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, the UN Security Council adopted the situation in the DPRK as its formal agenda and decided to remain seized of the issue.
 
Taking this opportunity, I would like to pay my highest tribute to the dedicated efforts of the COI members, who contributed to disclosing the whole truth behind the human rights situation in the DPRK, and to the courage of the North Korean refugees who broke the imposed silence to give testimony about their painful past.
 
Mr. President,
 
While listening to the statement of the Foreign Minister of the DPRK earlier this afternoon, as a fellow diplomat and descendent of the same blood, I couldn’t contain an overwhelming sense of sorrowful pity.
 
The Minister knows better than anyone else about the horrific human rights situation in the DPRK and the grave concern verging on despair of the international community over the situation. Yet, he exploited a refugee’s confession about changes in his account in an attempt to conceal the truth, a pitiful effort born out of desperation indeed.
 
One cannot veil the sky with the palm of a hand. Darkness can never defeat light. How much longer does the DPRK wish to continue its inhumane acts of trampling on the human dignity of its people?
 
We hope that the DPRK will no longer ignore the plight of its own people. We call on the DPRK to immediately take concrete and sincere steps so that its people can carry on a normal, dignified life. And, we sincerely hope that the DPRK will soon put into action the pledge it made last year to cooperate with international organizations such as OHCHR.
 
The Government of the Republic of Korea will closely cooperate with the Human Rights Council and other UN human rights mechanisms to improve the human rights situation in the DPRK. In particular, we will spare no efforts to support the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK and the OHCHR’s field-based structure that will be set up in Seoul later this year.
 
Even at this time, North Korean asylum-seekers are wandering around searching for freedom. These people, who face the risk of repatriation, require the special care and protection of the international community. All members of the international community should adhere to the principle of non-refoulement, and spare no efforts to provide protection and assistance so that they can settle down safely in a place of their choice.
 
This year also marks the 70thyearofthedivisionoftheKoreanPeninsula.Almosthalfoftheseparatedfamilieshave died without even knowing whether their loved ones are alive. This is an urgent and pressing problem that needs to be resolved without further delay. We urge the DPRK to heed our request for confirmation of whether or not they are alive and for regular family reunions. We also call upon the DPRK to make efforts to resolve humanitarian issues such as those concerning abductees and prisoners of war. In this context, we hope that the initiative of Special Rapporteur Darusman to set up a comprehensive strategy on the abduction issue will soon bear fruit.
 
(Sexual Slavery during WWII)
 
Mr. President,
 
This year, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. As a result of the international efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment over the last two decades, meaningful progress has been made in the twelve critical areas. However, many works remain as unfinished business.
 
In particular, sexual violence in conflict that is still being perpetrated in many parts of the world is a serious human rights issue that needs to be urgently addressed. This is a historical issue as well. The scars of the Second World War are gradually healing with the passage of 70 years, but the sexual violence perpetrated during the War still remains as a deep trauma to the victims.
 
Every Wednesday for the past twenty years, the Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery during the Second World War, known as “comfort women”, have been staging demonstrations in Seoul, demanding a genuine apology and accountability from the Japanese government. Most of them are of old age and two have already passed away this year alone. And for the fifty-three victims who are still with us, time is running out.
 
We cannot further delay investing all that we can to help the surviving victims restore their dignity and self-esteem. Like you and me, they have the right to leave this world with a restored sense of worth and thus, faith in humanity.
 
Last month, just before the Lunar New Year holidays, I paid a visit to the House of Sharing, a welfare facility for “comfort women”. I found myself at a loss for words before these elderly women who recounted their painful memories to me in tears. All I could say was that together with the international community, I would try my best to help them recover their honor in their life-time so that their courageous confessions will not go in vain. And all that I could do as I left them was to ask for their promise in return to stay strong and in good health to see that day come.
 
Last year, the human rights treaty bodies, including the Human Rights Committee and Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended once again an investigation into the human rights violations of the victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army, punishment of the perpetrators, and compensation and apologies to the victims. Mme. Navi Pillay, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, also called for a comprehensive, impartial and lasting solution to the wartime sexual slavery issue. The leaders of the international community including the U.S. have also voiced their concerns in chorus.
 
We hope that the Japanese government will heed these international calls and, as the government concerned, act in response with accountability. The past mirrors the present and the future. Without healing the wounds of the past, we cannot anticipate a healthy future. Ever since the end of the Second World War, German leaders have made consistent and sincere efforts to heal the wounds of the past by expressing genuine remorse and repentance over the past history. In her recent speech commemorating the 70thanniversaryoftheliberationofAuschwitzcamp,ChancellorMerkelwentsofarastosay,“Thecrimesagainsthumanityarenottime-limited.Wehavetheeverlastingresponsibilitytopassalong,andalwaysremember,theknowledgeabouttheatrocities.”Thisepitomizeshowleadersoughttobehaveinthefaceofthetruthofhistory.
 
Genuine efforts by the Japanese government to resolve this thorny issue will pave the way for Korea and Japan to build a new future of co-prosperity. We urge the Japanese government to assume a more sincere and courageous stance at the ongoing bilateral consultations to come up with a solution that is acceptable to the victims and the international community. And this solution should be worked out without further delay so that as many surviving victims as possible can restore their honor and resolve their deep sorrows before they take their last breath.
 
(Conclusion)
 
Mr. President,
 
The Republic of Korea is often cited as a success story that has simultaneously achieved both industrialization and democratization, rising above the ashes of war and agony of national division and poverty. It would be an understatement, however, to say that this journey was an easy one.
 
Korea had to undergo painful processes of reforms and adjustment while overcoming countless challenges and obstacles. Through this, Korea was able to achieve not only economic development, but also invaluable experiences and lessons learned in the protection and promotion of human rights as well as democratic institutionalization.
 
Based on such experiences and lessons, we are committed to actively joining international efforts to create a world envisioned by the UN founders -- a world in which human dignity and democratic values are fully respected and peace and happiness flow like a river.
 
As a trusted partner of the international community as well as a friend and supporter sharing the pains and difficulties of fellow developing countries, Korea is committed to making greater contributions in the years ahead. Thank you. /END/