North Korea

(asked on 11th November 2014) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the publication of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry report into violations of human rights in North Korea, what discussions and representations they have made to the government of Switzerland about the freezing of North Korean assets in Switzerland.


This question was answered on 20th November 2014

We remain in regular contact with Switzerland regarding our policy on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), not least to improve the human rights situation. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK recommended that the UN Security Council introduce targeted sanctions on human rights grounds. While we are appalled by reports of ongoing human rights violations, the pervasive culture of impunity and the lack of accountability, we will want to ensure any new sanctions regime has a clear impact on the human rights situation in the DPRK without any unintended negative effects on the general population, and be sure any proposals are both legally and politically deliverable in the EU following recent successful legal challenges.

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