North Korea tells EU to 'mind its own business' over draft UN human rights resolution

North Korea has criticised the European Union after the bloc submitted a draft United Nations resolution on human rights in the country, according to state media reports on Thursday. Pyongyang told the EU to "mind its own business" and described the move as a politically motivated provocation. The dispute comes as the annual UN process on North Korea's rights record moves through the General Assembly system.

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The North Korean mission to the UN said the EU had again submitted a draft resolution that it said "flagrantly distorts" the human rights policy and situation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea called the draft a "farce" and rejected what it described as non-existent human rights issues.

It also argued that human rights are not a monopoly of the West. The resolution is expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly's Third Committee later this month before going to the full assembly for final approval. The annual resolution condemning North Korea's human rights violations has been adopted every year since 2005.

The latest criticism from Pyongyang follows a long-running pattern of rejecting international scrutiny over its rights record. The issue remains significant because the United Nations and other critics have for years accused North Korea of widespread abuses, including prison camps and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information. Little is known about the country's criminal justice system, which adds to the difficulty of independent verification.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said last year that conditions in North Korea had shown no improvement over the past decade and had worsened in many cases. North Korea's statement also pointed to protests in European cities, including Paris and Brussels, in an attempt to argue that the EU should focus on its own rights concerns. That line of argument reflects the broader diplomatic tension between Pyongyang and Western governments over human rights accountability.

The EU has regularly backed UN action on the issue, while North Korea has consistently dismissed such criticism as hostile interference. What remains unclear is whether the draft resolution will change before the committee vote later this month. It is also not yet clear whether North Korea's latest statement will affect the wider UN debate or the final assembly vote.

For now, the episode adds to a familiar annual confrontation over how the international community addresses North Korea's human rights record.

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