North Korea Criticizes US and UN for Discussing Human Rights Abuses and Missile Provocation

North Korea has criticized the United States and the United Nations (UN) for raising concerns about the country’s human rights issues and missile provocations. The US co-hosted an informal meeting at the UN Security Council on Friday to highlight the human rights violations in North Korea, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the country’s recent test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile as a violation of UNSC resolutions. In response, North Korea’s mission to the UN issued a statement through the Korean Central News Agency, stating that it will counter the “illegal ‘human rights’ campaign” by the US and its followers with the most powerful means. The mission defined the “pressure campaign” as a violation of the North’s dignity and sovereignty and resolutely denounced and rejected it. The North’s foreign ministry also accused Guterres of adding fuel to the flames and far from helping ease tensions in the Korean Peninsula and the region. North Korea’s Vice-Foreign Minister for international organizations, Kim Son-gyong, stated that it would be better for Guterres to remain silent rather than meddle in the Korean Peninsula issue.