DPRK refutes UN report on human rights

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday "categorically" denounced a U.N. report on its human rights as "sheer fabrication" and "politically- motivated provocation."

A spokesman of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, who responded to questions raised by the official news agency KCNA regarding the issue, said Pyongyang "categorically" rejected the "biased report," which "is peppered with sheer lies and fabrications deliberately cooked up by hostile forces."

The spokesman refuted the "far-fetched assertions" that the human rights situation in the country should be referred to the International Criminal Court as "an extremely dangerous politically-motivated provocation aimed to bring down the DPRK's social system."

The report, published Monday by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights, listed crimes against humanity committed in the country, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement, starvation and executions.

Pyongyang described the UN report as "marionette under the clutches" of the United States and its followers."  

The DPRK spokesman also accused the United States of being the worst human rights abuser, "who killed innocent people through aggression and intervention, and systematically committed illegal wire-tapping and surveillance against citizens of other countries," and should be brought to an international human rights tribunal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed Monday that "resolving human rights differences should be through constructive dialogue and cooperation based on equality and mutual respect."