By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 30 -- When the US Mission and that of South Korea started an event on human rights in North Korea in UN Conference Room 3 on April 30, on the podium were US Ambassador Samantha Power, UN human rights official Ivan Simonovic and others.
But early in the proceedings, a trio from the North Korea or DPRK mission began to speak. From the podium, Ambassador Power said to turn off the microphone: "Please shut the mic down... please make sure the mic is not live."
The speech continued; eventually the North Korea trio left the conference room accompanied by UN Security officers. Inner City Press followed, and asked them if they'd return for a more UN-conventional right of reply. No, was the response.
As the DPRK trio went up the escalator, a heckler who had followed from the Conference Room shouted at them, "You are human scum!" They proceeded up the escalator, through the UN's checkerboard floored lobby and were gone.
The event was called "Victims’ Voices: A Conversation on North Korean Human Rights," and included author Barbara Demick.
Back on April 8 the North Korean mission to the UN held a press conference at its office on Second Avenue, at which its Deputy Permanent Representative An Myong Hun denounced the continued detention of the Mudubong ship in Mexico.
An Myong Hun said that in January Mexico was going to release the ship, which ran into a Mexican coral reef (damage to which North Korea paid for) - then reversed its position, saying that a UN Under Secretary General had told them to hold the ship.
Inner City Press asked An Myong Hun if that UN Under Secretary General was Angela Kane of Disarmament, soon to be replaced by Kim Won-soo (see Inner City Press' scoop, here). An Myong Hun said that the USG was unnamed - but said the United States was behind the continued "illegal" detention of the ship.