North Korea Rejects UN Human Rights Report as Politically Motivated
Pyongyang has denounced a report submitted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which says surveillance and control in North Korea have intensified and calls for accountability over alleged abuses.
North Korea on Saturday strongly rejected a new United Nations report on the country’s human rights conditions, accusing the organization and its secretary-general of distorting facts and turning the issue into a political campaign against Pyongyang.
A spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued the response through state media after UN Secretary-General António Guterres submitted the report to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The spokesperson described the document as a product of hostile forces led by the United States and argued that its contents were fabricated, formulaic and illegitimate.
Pyongyang also criticized Guterres personally, claiming that the United Nations had become an unequal and undemocratic institution serving the interests of certain countries and groups during his tenure. The Foreign Ministry warned that it would not accept what it called the politicization of human rights under the next secretary-general.
The statement framed human rights as inseparable from national sovereignty. It said any effort to damage North Korea’s system, dignity or public interests would be treated as a serious infringement of sovereignty and could bring consequences.
The UN report covers developments in North Korea from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Released on Friday, it assessed that human rights conditions continued to deteriorate, including through wider use of advanced technology to strengthen surveillance and control over residents. It called for alleged perpetrators of abuses to be investigated and held accountable.
The report also raised concern about arbitrary detention. It named three South Korean nationals — Kim Jung-wook, Choi Chun-gil and Kim Kuk-gi — who are detained in North Korea, as well as Kim Cheol-ok, a North Korean escapee who was forcibly repatriated. Their cases had been cited by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
The exchange highlights the persistent divide between North Korea and international human rights bodies. UN mechanisms have repeatedly sought greater access, transparency and accountability, while Pyongyang has consistently rejected outside scrutiny as interference in its domestic affairs. The latest dispute also places the treatment of detained South Koreans and forcibly returned escapees back before the General Assembly. Saturday’s statement offered no indication that North Korea would cooperate with the recommendations in the latest report.