North Korea has warned of "merciless" retaliation against South Korean conservative groups which have raised alleged human right abuses in the communist state, official media said Sunday.
A UN resolution last week expressed concern about reports on torture, public executions, the imposition of the death penalty for political reasons and the extensive use of forced labour in communist North Korea. Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, the body handling South Korea affairs, issued the warning Saturday through an official statement, the Korean Central News Agency said.
It accused South Korea's main opposition Grand National Party as well as conservative Christian and civic groups of preparing a series of public events in a "malignant smear campaign" against North Korea over human rights. "This lays bare their true colours as despicable pro-US sycophantic traitors," the committee spokesman said in the statement.
"We will never pardon those who try to defame the North's dignified political system ... but force them to pay a high price for their crimes through merciless retaliatory actions." The spokesman did not elaborate on what steps North Korea may take. S Korea's govt, fearing further damage to inter-Korean relations, abstained from the UN resolution, despite pressure from the opposition party. The vote was 84 in favour, 22 against with 62 abstentions. It was the first vote on North Korean human rights abuses by the UN General Assembly, although similar resolutions have been passed at the UN Commission on Human Rights since 2003.
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