AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The United States thanks Special Rapporteur Quintana for his report and for his efforts to champion human rights in the DPRK.

We remain deeply concerned by gross human rights violations and abuses committed by the North Korean government. The President raised North Korea’s human rights record in his summit meetings with Chairman Kim and will continue to raise this issue going forward.

We continue to work with the international community to raise awareness, highlight violations, share information, and pressure the DPRK to treat its citizens in a humane and respectful manner.

We are working with international partners to shine a spotlight on the egregious human rights violations committed by the DPRK government, to promote accountability for those most responsible for abuses, and to increase the flow of information into, out of, and within the closed society.

The Special Rapporteur’s latest report, despite limitations on access to DPRK, assesses that patterns of systematic, gross, and widespread human rights violations and abuses continue.

Rather than invest in its people and address their suffering, the Kim regime has chosen to invest in an illicit weapons programs. We want North Korea to know it can choose a new and better path. It can choose between complete isolation or international acceptance. We look forward to helping create a brighter future for a denuclearized DPRK.

We join in the call for the immediate release and amnesty for prisoners of conscience and an end to severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms.