World Health Organization Elects Communist
NORTH KOREA to its Executive Board







Communist North Korea, a regime notorious for starving its own people while investing heavily in nuclear weapons,
has been elected to the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Under the leadership of Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder, North Korea adopted a socialist and communist system.

The communist country has been widely criticized for its human rights record, and there have been reports of
severe punishments inflicted on its own people for various reasons. (It is important to note that information
about the country’s internal workings is limited due to its isolation and strict control over information.)


Some of the reported methods of punishment in North Korea include:



[1] Forced Labor:

The government has been accused of using forced labor, including in prison camps
known as “kwanliso,” where detainees are subjected to harsh conditions and
forced to perform hard labor.

[2] Political Prison Camps:

North Korea operates a network of prison camps where individuals deemed to be
enemies of the state, including political dissidents and their families, are imprisoned.
The conditions in these camps have been described as inhumane, with reports of
torture, starvation, and other forms of abuse.

[3] Arbitrary Detention:

The government has been known to detain individuals arbitrarily, often without due
process or access to legal representation. Detainees can be held for extended periods
without any formal charges or trial.

[4] Public Execution:

North Korea has been reported to carry out public executions for offenses such as
espionage, political dissent, and even for actions deemed as disobedience to the
regime. These executions are often meant to instill fear and maintain control.

[5] Restrictions on Freedom of Expression:

The regime tightly controls the flow of information and restricts freedom of speech
and expression. Possessing or distributing unauthorized materials, including foreign
media, can lead to severe punishment.

[6] Collective Punishment:

The government has been accused of implementing a system of collective punishment,
where the family members of individuals deemed disloyal or engaging in dissent can
also face punishment, including being sent to prison camps.




North Korea’s regime, led by Kim Jong Un, has long been accused of gross human rights abuses and negligence
toward the basic needs of its own citizens.

Despite this, the World Health Organization elected North Korea to its Executive Board.

“The Executive Board is composed of 34 persons who are technically qualified in the field of health, each designated
by a Member State that has been elected to serve by the World Health Assembly. Member States are elected
for three-year terms,” according to WHO.

Dr. Jong Min Pak, Director of the Department of External Affairs, Ministry of Public Health in Pyongyang, has been
elected as one of the executive boards.

Critics argue that this move undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the WHO, which is already facing scrutiny
for its handling of global health crises.


International human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer has more on this story.

Quote:What this means is that one of the world’s most horrific regimes
is now a part of a group that sets and enforces the standards and
norms for the global governance of health care. It is an absurd
episode for a key U.N. agency that is in much need of self-reflection
and reform.

North Korea’s regime allows its people to die of starvation while they
spend billions on nuclear weapons.

As a member of the WHO Executive Board for the next three year,
Kim Jong Un will help set the agency’s agenda and implement its
policies.

North Korea was elected, in a slate with the other nominees, by a
secret ballot: 123 nations voting yes, 13 abstentions and 6 spoiled
ballots; 35 countries were absent. Normally the elections are by
consensus, but Russia challenged Ukraine’s nomination, and so a
vote was held.

The right signal from the U.N. to the North Korean regime would
be an overdue referral to the International Criminal Court, not an
election to an organization that sets the standards for global health.

The truth is that scores of North Korean regime actors, from
Kim Jong-un to low-level guards, should be investigated and
prosecuted for committing some of the most heinous crimes against
humanity ever documented in modern times.
This is what the U.N. should be advancing.

North Korea Suffers One of Its Worst Food Shortages in Decades