A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the training base of the special operations unit of the Korean People's Army in an undisclosed location in the west of North Korea, Oct. 2. EPA-Yonhap

A U.N. General Assembly committee on Wednesday passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th consecutive year, calling for the U.N. system as a whole to continue to address the North's "grave" situation "in a coordinated and unified manner."

The Third Committee handling human rights and social affairs adopted by consensus the resolution, which expressed concerns over the North's declaration not to pursue reunification with South Korea and called for repealing its practices and laws that suppress people's freedom of thought, expression and religion.

The adoption came as Seoul and Washington have stressed the importance of improvement in the North's human rights environment on the grounds that a repressive political climate has led the regime to continue to push for its weapons programs without public comment.

"Noting with concern the possible negative impact on the human rights situation, including that of separated families, following the announcement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in January 2024 that it would no longer pursue reunification with the Republic of Korea (ROK)," the resolution read.

ROK and DPRK refer to the official names of South Korea and North Korea, respectively.

It is the first time that the annually adopted resolution has mentioned the North's public renouncement of reunification as a policy goal.

The resolution also pointed out "all-pervasive and severe restrictions," including an "absolute monopoly" on information and total control over organized social life, saying that they have been further tightened by newly enacted laws, including the Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture and the Youth Education Guarantee Law.

"(It urges the North) to ensure the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief and the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and association, both online and offline, including by permitting the establishment of independent newspapers and other media and repealing or reforming all practices and laws suppressing the aforementioned rights," the resolution reads.

It stressed that the North Korean government funds its "unlawful" nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs through human rights violations and abuse, such as forced labor.

Moreover, it noted with concern that a "disproportionate" amount of the North's state budget is allocated to military spending, resulting in failure to fully respect, protect and fulfill human rights, such as the right to adequate food.

The resolution included a request for the president of the General Assembly to organize a high-level plenary meeting, featuring testimony by civil society representatives and other experts, to address the human rights abuses being committed in the North.

It called for the "immediate" return of all abductees of South Korea and Japan.

South Korea's Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Sang-jin urged Pyongyang to heed the General Assembly's concerns over the human rights situation in the reclusive state and its calls for improvement.

"It is with a heavy heart, however, that there has been no improvement, but rather deterioration in North Korea's systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, which amount to crimes against humanity, according to the 2014 COI report," Kim said, referring to the Commission of Inquiry report on Pyongyang's abuses.

This photo, released by a U.S.-based NGO advocating for North Korea's human rights, shows a political prison compound in North Korea in 2017. Newsis

In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry welcomed the adoption of the resolution.

"As this year marks the 10th year since the U.N. COI report was published, we take note of the fact that through this resolution, the international community expressed concerns over the serious human rights situation in North Korea and sent a consistent and unified message calling for the North's action to improve the situation," the ministry said.

It also vowed to make multi-faceted efforts to improve the North's human rights based on its stance that a resolution on the North's human rights issue is a "crucial foundation" for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.

As anticipated, North Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song said that Pyongyang "categorically" rejected the resolution, denouncing it as the "document of a political plot fabricated for the ulterior purpose of defaming the dignity of the DPRK."

"The anti-DPRK draft resolution of human rights, tabled by the European Union every year at the instigation of the United States, is a false paper worthy of no deliberation at all as it is full of the fabrication and falsehood," he said. "The so-called human rights issue cannot exist in our country."

The resolution will be sent to a full General Assembly session for approval in December.

The committee has adopted the resolution annually since 2005 to shine a light on human rights violations in North Korea and redouble international calls for Pyongyang to tackle the issue. (Yonhap)