US cites human rights abuses for punitive action
The United States has imposed additional sanctions on North Korea for its human rights violations. The sanctions are the first of their kind against the North since President Joe Biden took office in January.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Treasury blacklisted North Korea’s new Defense Minister Ri Yong-gil and its Central Public Prosecutors Office for their involvement in human rights abuses. Ri was accused of his role as the former social security minister in using the court system to “prosecute and punish persons for political wrongdoing in a legal process involving fundamentally unfair trials.”
“These trials sometimes end in sentencing to the DPRK’s notorious prison camp, run by the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Social Security,” the department said. As one of the abuse cases, it cited the death of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died in 2017 upon returning home in a state of coma after a yearlong detention in the North.
The Treasury also blacklisted SEK Studio, the North’s state-run animation firm, for exploiting North Korean workers to earn foreign exchange. It accused the firm of trying to evade sanctions by using front companies. The studio has contributed work to big-budget animated films such as Disney’s “Pocahontas” and “The Lion King.” As well, the department blacklisted a number of individuals and organization in China and Russia for breaching U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban U.N. member states from hiring or hosting North Korean workers.
Marking International Human Rights Day, the U.S. also imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities tied to China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The sanctions came when Biden was hosting a two-day virtual Summit for Democracy designed to fight autocracy and bolster democracy around the world. They also came after Washington decided to wage a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for next February.
The new sanctions sent a clear message that the U.S. will not tolerate any rights abuses by autocratic countries. As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, the U.S. is determined to put human rights at the center of its foreign policy. The Biden administration has also given the impression that Washington is using human rights issues to put more pressure on Beijing over its rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Yet, the recent developments could escalate tensions in the Sino-U.S. rivalry.
The U.S. move could be seen as a warning against Pyongyang. The Biden administration has vowed to solve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy. It has repeatedly called on the North to return to the negotiating table. However, the Kim Jong-un regime has refused to do that, sticking to its demand for sanctions relief first. The new sanctions may anger the North, worsening the situation further. If that is the case, it could deal a blow to President Moon Jae-in’s push for a declaration to formally end the Korean War, which has already met a stumbling block due to the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
The United States has imposed additional sanctions on North Korea for its human rights violations. The sanctions are the first of their kind against the North since President Joe Biden took office in January.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Treasury blacklisted North Korea’s new Defense Minister Ri Yong-gil and its Central Public Prosecutors Office for their involvement in human rights abuses. Ri was accused of his role as the former social security minister in using the court system to “prosecute and punish persons for political wrongdoing in a legal process involving fundamentally unfair trials.”
“These trials sometimes end in sentencing to the DPRK’s notorious prison camp, run by the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Social Security,” the department said. As one of the abuse cases, it cited the death of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died in 2017 upon returning home in a state of coma after a yearlong detention in the North.
The Treasury also blacklisted SEK Studio, the North’s state-run animation firm, for exploiting North Korean workers to earn foreign exchange. It accused the firm of trying to evade sanctions by using front companies. The studio has contributed work to big-budget animated films such as Disney’s “Pocahontas” and “The Lion King.” As well, the department blacklisted a number of individuals and organization in China and Russia for breaching U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban U.N. member states from hiring or hosting North Korean workers.
Marking International Human Rights Day, the U.S. also imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities tied to China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The sanctions came when Biden was hosting a two-day virtual Summit for Democracy designed to fight autocracy and bolster democracy around the world. They also came after Washington decided to wage a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for next February.
The new sanctions sent a clear message that the U.S. will not tolerate any rights abuses by autocratic countries. As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, the U.S. is determined to put human rights at the center of its foreign policy. The Biden administration has also given the impression that Washington is using human rights issues to put more pressure on Beijing over its rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Yet, the recent developments could escalate tensions in the Sino-U.S. rivalry.
The U.S. move could be seen as a warning against Pyongyang. The Biden administration has vowed to solve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy. It has repeatedly called on the North to return to the negotiating table. However, the Kim Jong-un regime has refused to do that, sticking to its demand for sanctions relief first. The new sanctions may anger the North, worsening the situation further. If that is the case, it could deal a blow to President Moon Jae-in’s push for a declaration to formally end the Korean War, which has already met a stumbling block due to the U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
New sanctions on North Korea
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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