UN slams abuses:

Asia

Park

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Thursday condemned human rights abuses in North Korea and Iran, a rebuke rejected by Pyongyang and Tehran.

The North Korea resolution was adopted with 119 votes in favor, 19 against and 48 abstentions and the Iran resolution received 81 votes in favor, 37 against and 67 abstentions.

General Assembly resolutions are nonbinding but can carry political weight. The resolutions on human rights in Iran and North Korea have become an annual event.

The resolution on North Korea, which was drafted by the European Union and Japan, condemned the “ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights” in North Korea.

It urged the Security Council to consider referring the situation in North Korea to the International Criminal Court. However, diplomats say Pyongyang’s ally China would veto such a move by the 15-member council. (RTRS)

S. Koreans call fresh protests:

Hundreds of South Koreans called for new protests of conservative President Park Geun-hye, whose increasingly harsh treatment of union members and dissidents has led to criticism comparing her with her late dictator father.

The rally Saturday will be the latest in a series of mass protests in recent months, although police believe the turnout will be smaller than huge demonstrations earlier this month and on Nov 14, when dozens were injured in a clash between police and protesters.

Although Park still has a strong base of supporters, dissatisfaction has been growing. Demonstrators criticize her conservative policies in labor, trade and education and also what they see as her attacks on personal and political freedoms.

There is also widespread frustration among young people over joblessness and inequality, which has inspired an Internet buzzword, “Hell Joseon,” referring to the feudal Joseon kingdom that ruled Korea before it was colonized by Japan in the early 20th century. (AP) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (center), and Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-O-Cha (left), review a guard of honour during the welcoming ceremony at Government House in Bangkok on Dec 18. Hun Sen arrived on

an official two-day visit to Thailand. (AFP)