North Korea back online as UN body hears 'macabre lists' of atrocities
A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues.
North Korea is back online after facing a nearly total internet shutdown for close to ten hours Monday, just days after the Hermit Kingdom was accused of hacking Sony Pictures Entertainment. In the midst of the cyber-standoff, Western ambassadors to the United Nations were busy calling for Pyongyang leader Kim Jong-un to be tried for crimes against humanity in an unprecedented Security Council meeting.
A review by the UN found evidence of extreme human rights abuses like mass , rape, sexual enslavement, and forced abortions, according to The Associated Press.
鈥淚 would not run through the macabre lists of atrocities. This would make us all nauseated,鈥� Luxembourg Ambassador Sylvie Lucas told the 15-nation council.聽
Last Friday the UN General Assembly advised the Security Council to refer Mr. Kim to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Until this week the Security Council鈥檚 discussions about North Korea centered on nuclear weapons. Russia and especially China had opposed a Security Council airing of a UN investigation into human conditions in North Korea. However a vote on for the Council to discuss all aspects of the country, reports Reuters.
Ivan Simonovic, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, told the council that 鈥渞arely has such an extensive charge sheet of international crimes鈥� been brought to the group鈥檚 attention. Mr. Simonovic urged member states to give the human rights situation in North Korea their 鈥渇ullest attention and action.鈥�
China鈥檚 ambassador, Liu Jieyi, argued that the council 鈥渟hould refrain from doing anything that might cause the escalation of tensions.鈥�
North Korea sat out the meeting in protest, but sent a letter Monday that said the council was orchestrating 鈥渁 politically motivated dangerous attempt to lay ground for an invasion of the DPRK [North Korea] under the pretext of 鈥榟uman rights鈥�.鈥�
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Powers was among those that spoke out against North Korea鈥檚 rights record: 鈥淭oday we have broken the Council's silence. We have begun to shine a light, and what it has revealed is terrifying."
The so-called Hermit Kingdom is already involved in a confrontation with the United States over a suspected hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was preparing to release a satirical film that included a depiction of Kim's death. North Korea did not claim responsibility for hacking into Sony's systems, but ,鈥� reports The New York Times.
President Obama last week vowed to respond, despite many cybersecurity experts arguing there is聽inconclusive evidence linking North Korea, or any specific group, to the attack, reports 海角大神鈥檚 Passcode.
North Korea was Monday, finally regaining connectivity early Tuesday morning, reports CNN.聽
The US declined to say whether it was responsible for the Internet shutdown.
The North Korean Central News Agency, meanwhile, said it is "fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space.鈥�
