Arab News Japan

TOKYO: North Korea’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) released a bulletin on June 27 accusing the United States of an “abominable history” of actions with UN organizations.

The US recently decided to rejoin UNESCO, which it has previously left on two occasions. On the last occasion, it withdrew in 2018 having previously stopped paying membership fees in 2011 when UNESCO accepted Palestine as a full member state. 

“The United States has an abominable history of not only withdrawing from UNESCO, but also international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Human Rights Council, and numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements and international agreements,” the North Korean statement said. “This is because the United States is a lawless country that does not care about international law that reflects the consensus of the international community.”

It accused the US of advocating for its own self-interest, adding that its motive for rejoining UNESCO was more to do with geopolitical maneuvering and its desire to counter Chinese influence in international bodies.

“This is not to promote international cooperation and promotion in the fields of education, science and culture, which is the original mission of the organization, but to abuse the international organization as a platform for factional confrontation and a window for the realization of hegemonic strategies,” according to the statement.

“The United States must not mock UNESCO. UNESCO is an authoritative international organization whose basic mission is to instill in people a love of peace and to promote equitable, intellectual and cultural development in the world. The international community, which craves justice, truth, peace and civilization, should never stand by and watch the organization fall into a tumultuous battle of factions, ideological clashes and groupings due to the re-admission of the United States.”