Pyongyang threatens to use nuclear weapons again

(Baonghean) - On Thursday, November 20, Pyongyang condemned the United Nations vote to refer senior North Korean leaders to the International Court, which could include Kim Jong Un, who is accused of committing crimes against humanity.

In a report by the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Committee, the committee accused Kim Jong Un’s regime of abusing its policies to violate human rights. At the same time, the committee asked the Security Council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, the request of the Human Rights Committee is unlikely to succeed, as China, a permanent member of the Security Council and a close ally of North Korea, will use its veto power on the issue.

Flagpole at the border between the two Koreas. Photo by Lee Jin Man

The North Korean Foreign Ministry said the report was a “scam” orchestrated by Washington to humiliate Pyongyang in front of the international community. North Korea said it would respond by continuing to use nuclear weapons. “The provocative act of the United States will not prevent Pyongyang from conducting a nuclear weapons test,” the ministry said.

The non-binding resolution, based on a 400-page UN report released in February that examined human rights abuses in North Korea, concluded that “there is no justice in the country,” will be considered by the full UN General Assembly in December.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, US researchers at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Washington discussed the possibility that North Korea is starting activities to extract Plutonium for nuclear weapons production at a fuel processing plant.

Satellite images show steam coming from a North Korean fuel processing plant, possibly a sign that Pyongyang is carrying out maintenance and testing before the plant is restarted. The plant has shut down its 5 megawatt (MW) reactor, which produces most of the plutonium used to make an atomic bomb.

Chu Thanh -According to LeMonde November 20