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Malaysia urged to vote for UN resolution on North Korea
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North Korean soldiers turn and look towards leader Kim Jong Un as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol as they parade during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 27, 2013. (AP/Wong Maye-E)
Malaysia has been urged to vote for a UN resolution on human rights violations in North Korea.
Ambassador-at-large for North Korean Human Rights Prof Jung Hon-lee said Malaysia has always voted against the resolution or abstained from voting.
“I understand that Malaysia has diplomatic relations with North Korea and you don't want to reproach specific countries at the UN but these are human rights issues.
"It doesn't really damage Malaysia's standing in any way by voting for the resolution,” he said Thursday at a forum on human rights in North Korea that was organized by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia and the Korea Foundation.
The 2015 resolution on North Korea passed by a vote of 119 to 19, with 48 abstentions.
Malaysia was one of the countries that abstained from voting for the resolution that condemned “long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights” in North Korea.
Lee said it is important for countries that have diplomatic relations with North Korea to tell it about its wrongdoings.
He said human rights and nuclear issues can also be raised during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
