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North Korea to Boycott 'Politicized' UN Rights Forum


FILE - North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong addresses the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, March 3, 2015.
FILE - North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong addresses the 28th Session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, March 3, 2015.

North Korea says it will boycott the U.N. Human Rights Council and "never, ever be bound" by U.N. resolutions critical of its rights record.

Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the council Tuesday in Geneva any resolutions against the reclusive Communist country will only be "proof of partiality and double standards."

Ri said North Korea will no longer take part in international sessions that single out its human rights record "for mere political attack." He said the council was plagued by "politicization, selectivity and double standards."

The U.N.'s top rights body has repeatedly slammed the situation in North Korea, with a massive 2014 report charging the country and its leadership were guilty of a wide range of crimes against humanity.

But Ri insisted Tuesday the United States and others who have long yearned for the "elimination of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]" were using false allegations of human rights abuses to boost their cause.

He charged they were driving a "human rights racket" against the country.

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