DPRK says not to tolerate human rights 'racket'

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday reiterated that the country's army and people will not tolerate the US-led human rights racket.

The human rights resolution, drafted by the European Union and Japan, is a "shameless, politically-motivated farce," the National Defense Commission said in a statement.

The Third Committee of the 69th United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution that recommends the Security Council refer the DPRK to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

"Our army and our people categorically deny and reject the resolution," which was worked out by the "US-led undesirable hostile forces," it said.

The commission warned that the military will take the "toughest measure" to shatter the human rights campaign targeted at Pyongyang, pinpointed that the United States, Japan and South Korea are its major targets.

Once a war breaks out, all of the three countries will be "hit hard and sent to the bottom of the sea," it said, adding the UN can not evade responsibility for the catastrophic consequences either.

In the statement, Pyongyang also mentioned the release of three Americans held here, saying that it has shown "humanitarian leniency" to the detained US citizens who had violated the DPRK laws, but Washington in response kicks up the human rights racket against Pyongyang.

In late October and early November, Pyongyang successively freed all of the three US detainees, two of them were sentenced to hard labor of 15 years and six years respectively.