Joint letter urging condemnation of North Korea in the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression to be proposed at the 58th UN Human Rights Council
February 24, 2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
11 Bankova Street
01220, Kyiv
Ukraine
Re: Condemnation of North Korea in the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression to be proposed at the 58th UN Human Rights Council
Dear President Zelenskyy
We urge Ukraine to condemn North Korea’s aiding and abetting of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, to urge an immediate end to North Korean complicity and to ensure prompt, independent and impartial investigations into North Korea’s international crimes and other violations in the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression that Ukraine will propose at the 58th UN Human Rights Council (24 February to 4 April 2025).
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine commenced on 24 February 2022, subsuming Russia’s earlier invasion of Crimea and the Donbass since February 2014, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Ukrainian-drafted resolutions 49/1 of 4 March 2022, 52/32 of 4 April 2023 and 55/23 of 4 April 2024 on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression.
In light of North Korea’s export of artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets and other lethal weapons to Russia and recent military deployment, Ukraine and other countries made recommendations to North Korea concerning its aiding and abetting of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at North Korea’s 4th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 7 November 2024, which were all immediately rejected by North Korea:
7.50 Stop facilitating Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and refrain from assisting serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law (Czechia);
7.51 Immediately end its complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine and return to compliance with international law (Ukraine);
7.52 Immediately cease violations of international law and multiple UN Security Council resolutions including the most fundamental principles of the UN Charter and stop providing assistance and direct support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (Estonia);
7.53 Stop providing support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, resulting in grave human rights violations (Latvia);
We urge Ukraine to add new language (1) condemning North Korea for providing lethal assistance and direct military support to the war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, resulting in grave human rights violations; (2) urging North Korea to immediately end its complicity in the Russian aggression and to stop assisting serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law; and (3) ensuring prompt, independent and impartial investigations into North Korea’s violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as associated war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the draft resolution at the 58th UN Human Rights Council.
We note that NGOs have earlier urged the European Union (EU) to add the language concerning North Kora’s aiding and abetting of the Russian aggression and other North Korea-related issues in the preambular and operative paragraphs of the draft resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be proposed by the EU and Australia at the 58th UN Human Rights Council (see the attachment “Suggested changes for 2025 HRC58 DPRK resolution”).1
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Signature organizations (as of February 24, 2025)
Ukrainian NGOs:
Anti-Corruption Action Centre (AntAC)
Civil Network OPORA
Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO)
North Korea-related NGOs:
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK)
HanVoice
Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)
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