From Kenneth Udeh
Collective political-will by the international community and the United Nations to adopt a resolution to legally prosecute North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could be the key to bringing a much needed panacea to worsening human rights conditions in North Korea, a Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in diaspora has said.
Using the International Criminal Court (ICC) , CHIEF Jumbo D. Ndukwo Secretary of APC in South Korea Chapter asserted that Kim will be made to answer for allegations of gross military provocations and human rights abuses in his country.
Ndukwo made this known in Lagos in a brief chat with the Sun on Saturday while attending the ‘ ‘Banana Island Multicultural Festival ” an event organised by the The Korean Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Banana Island Property Owners and Residents’ Association.
Urging for concerted action to end Kim’s brutal regime, Ndukwo accused prominent world leaders and the UN General Assembly (UNGA), UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) of not doing enough to expose and end cases of human rights oppression in the Asian country.
The party Chieftain likened Kim Jong-un’s regime to the Late African leader Idi-Amin often regarded as Uganda’s and Africa’s worst dictator.
Ndukwo listed Kim Jong-un’s alleged crimes ;
“Just like Idi Amin, Kim Jong un has built political prison camps where he is perpetrating grave human rights violations such as imprisonment, torture and execution of dissidents.
“Furthermore, he has even confined individuals with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses in separate facilities, where they become subjects of inhumane experiments.
Ndukwo urged world leaders and international organisations to ignore China and Russia’s refusal to sanction North Korea’s leadership but rather inflict weighty disciplinary measures on Kim Jong-un such as the issuance of an International arrest warrant like the case of Putin in Russia.
He warned that Kim’s oppressive regime posed a threat to world peace. Ndukwo said ;
“In particular, the North Korean regime uses forced labour and exploits the workforce in the prison camps to earn a massive amount of foreign currency to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities”.
“You remember that on Aug. 17, UNSC held an open session on human rights abuses in North Korea for six years, but failed to adopt a resolution due to a lack of support from China and Russia.
“China and Russia seemingly have little incentive to deter North Korea’s human rights abuses and provocations including ballistic missile launches, but rather demand the international community to lift sanctions against the North.
“This is not a responsible attitude as a permanent member of the UNSC.
The Party Stalwart urged the international community not to consider Kim Jong-un’s atrocities with levity but utilise UN’s human rights and law enforcement mechanisms to bring the perpetrator of heinous crimes to justice through a special court.
Also, Ndukwo called on the UNSC to provide more opportunities to discuss and bring to light North Korea’s military provocations and human rights abuses as well as pursue measures including the adoption of an additional resolution against the North in order to address the problems.
He said; “As an ex-ante measure, it is necessary to name Kim Jong-un in North Korea Human Rights Resolution, pursued by the UNGA and UNHRC every year.
“Though it may be difficult to realize this goal in a short period of time, strong engagement from the international community itself will put an immense pressure on Kim Jong-un.
“While the international community failed to fully account for Idi Amin’s crimes against humanity, we hope that they will not repeat the same mistake in the case of Kim Jong-un.
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