In UN vote, countries support sending North Korea to ICC

UN Security Council members, Friday, Nov. 20, 2015 at United Nations headquarters. AP FILE PHOTO

UNITED NATIONS—The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s bleak human rights situation and encouraging the Security Council to refer the country to the International Criminal Court.

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The European Union and Japan have been pursuing such resolutions every year. This year, 119 countries voted in support of the resolution, while 19 countries voted against it and 48 countries abstained.

North Korea has criticized the resolution and blamed it on the United States “and other hostile forces.”

While such resolutions are not binding, they are a chance for the international community to express its point of view.

The Security Council last year placed North Korea’s human rights situation on its agenda and discussed it this month.

READ: North Korea savaged at UN for human rights abuses

An ICC referral is likely to be blocked by North Korean ally China.