SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s foreign minister on Monday denounced Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council last week, calling it an “unreasonable act” carried out by the United States. United and the West to maintain their political hegemony.

The US-led push to suspend Russia from the UN body over reports of “gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights” garnered 93 votes in favour, while 24 countries voted no and 58 countries abstained, prompting Moscow to announce it was leaving the body.

“What the United States seeks (…) is to isolate independent countries and the forces that challenge them on the international stage, in order to maintain its illegal and inhuman hegemonic order led by the United States” , the minister said, according to a statement carried by the state news agency KCNA.

The statement did not name the minister.

Noting North Korea opposed passage of ‘double standard’ resolution, minister says international organizations should not be ‘abused’ as a way for US to exert pressure country policy.

North Korea has tested a range of increasingly powerful missiles this year, while officials in Seoul and Washington also fear it is preparing to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 2017 at the middle of stalled negotiations.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by David Holmes)

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