North Korean ambassador to U.N. defends detention conditions, after death of U.S. student

Record ID: 896231

  • Title: North Korean ambassador to U.N. defends detention conditions, after death of U.S. student
  • Date: 20th June 2017
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (JUNE 20, 2017) (REUTERS) PERMANENT MISSION OF NORTH KOREA TO THE UNITED NATIONS DECORATION ON HOUSE BALCONY FLAG OF NORTH KOREA JOURNALIST INTERVIEWING NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HAN TAE SONG (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HAN TAE SONG, SAYING: "I am not a specialist in those areas but we are trying. The Americans who were held in DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), after (their) return, they said they were fairly treated, they were specially treated, something like that. So, that is what I know." HAN HOLDING GLASSES (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HAN TAE SONG, SAYING: "My country has been under the sanctions (for) more than 60 years by Americans. So, you know, we are not afraid of sanctions. So, I don't know what kind of sanctions they want to impose upon us. But we are not afraid (inaudible)." JOURNALIST INTERVIEWING HAN JOURNALIST'S NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HAN TAE SONG, SAYING: "If there is a continued threat by America and hostile forces and if they try to overthrow the state and system of my country and then if they don't stop the war exercise like a joint military exercise and the war games like a joint military exercise, and that those steps under the pretext of annual events, then there is no way for us to continue to strengthen our national capacity." JOURNALIST ASKING: "There is no way for you to curtail or..." HAN SAYING: "To strengthen our national defence capability." JOURNALIST ASKING: "So there is no other way but for you to continue strengthening your national defence capabilities." JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, HAN TAE SONG, SAYING: "The special rapporteur (Tomas Ojea-Quintana) is no more than a servant of hostile forces resorting to a despicable human rights campaign to pressure upon and overthrow the state and social system of the DPRK under the pretext of human rights therefore my country, the DPRK, will continue to reject his mandate." JOURNALIST TALKING / HAN STANDING UP HAN AND JOURNALISTS OUTSIDE PERMANENT MISSION HAN TALKING TO JOURNALIST OUTSIDE PERMANENT MISSION
  • Embargoed: 4th July 2017 12:42
  • Keywords: North Korea Otto Frederick Warmbier United States United Nations missiles sanctions Han Tae Song
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016M323BB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A senior North Korean official speaking after the death of a U.S. student held prisoner for 17 months by Pyongyang said on Tuesday (June 20) his country followed national law and international standards in its treatment of detainees.
    Otto Warmbier, 22, died at a hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday (June 19), a week after being released from North Korea in a coma.
    Han Tae Song, North Korea's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, speaking in his first interview since taking up the post in February, declined to comment specifically about Warmbier's case or the fate of other American, South Korean and Canadian detainees still held by his country.
    "The Americans who were held in DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), after (their) return, they said they were fairly treated, they were specially treated, something like that. So, that is what I know," Han told Reuters at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) diplomatic mission along Lake Geneva.
    Han firmly rejected two statements issued last week by Tomas Ojea-Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, about detainees and stalled family reunions between Koreans on both sides of the divided peninsula.
    Ojea-Quintana had called on Pyongyang on Friday to explain why Warmbier was in a coma when he was returned home after being denied access to legal and consular services. The U.N. expert said the student's alleged crime of stealing an item bearing a propaganda slogan seemed "disproportionate" to the 15-year prison term.
    Han called Ojea-Quintana a "servant of hostile forces," making clear he was referring to the United States and its allies who conduct joint military exercises regularly along the volatile border.
    Asked about the U.S. and other countries possibly imposing wider sanctions on North Korea, he replied: "My country has been under the sanctions (for) more than 60 years by Americans," adding his country was not afraid.
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