NEW YORK
The UN General Assembly on Thursday urged the Security Council to consider referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court over alleged human rights violations.
The resolution drafted by Japan and the European Union received the support of 116 states against 20, with 53 others abstaining from the vote.
It was approved Nov. 18 by the assembly's Third Committee, which deals with human rights issues.
Inspired by a UN Commission of Inquiry report from early this year that said Pyongyang committed "crimes against humanity," the resolution also asks council members to consider targeted sanctions against those who appear to be most responsible for acts that may constitute those crimes.
The nonbinding resolution requires the approval of the 15-member council, which is expected to discuss the issue next week.
Security Council action appears unlikely, however, as China and Russia, two of the five permanent members of the Council that has veto power, are the allies of the reclusive communist state.
The International Criminal Court at the Hague was established in 1998 as a court of last resort to prosecute the most heinous offenses in cases where national courts fail.
North Korea is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the court but the Security Council has the right to refer humanitarian crimes committed in any state, regardless of whether it is a party to the treaty.
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