Indonesia becomes the latest battleground for North Korean human rights

Posted on : 2015-02-16 16:25 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
North Korea’s embassy in Jakarta vehemently protesting event discussing human rights abuses
 an Indonesian newsmagazine.
an Indonesian newsmagazine.

Indonesia is the latest setting for a diplomatic clash between Seoul and Pyongyang over human rights in North Korea.

North Korea is strenuously objected to the holding of a North Korean human rights-themed event, with an official visiting the site from its embassy in Jakarta to read a protest statement out loud.

The event, a symposium on the topic of “international coordination to improve human rights in North Korea,” was organized in Jakarta on Feb. 10 by South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission, in conjunction with its Indonesian counterpart and the Indonesian Academy of Sciences.

Prior to the event, the North Korean embassy sent a message of vehement protest to the Indonesian government claiming the symposium had been “planned to spread negative feeling through unconfirmed rumors about North Korea,” the Indonesian weekly magazine Tempo reported recently.

Tempo also reported that North Korea’s ambassador to Indonesia, Ri Jong-ryul, had met with an Indonesian government official in his office and requested that Jakarta “take action to prevent the staging of gatherings to oppose North Korea.”

In a written response to the embassy, the Indonesian foreign ministry said, “as a democratic nation, we cannot forbid an event that has already had legal permission,” Tempo reported.

An unusual response followed, with a representative of the North Korean embassy visiting the event site to read aloud a statement of protest to reporters, the US service Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

North Korea’s sensitive response was based on its determination that the international community’s ongoing focus on its human rights situation is directly targeting leader Kim Jong-un, the RFA report said.

By Son Won-je, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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