The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly in favor of referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to answer charges of crimes against humanity.  Nations approved the non-binding measure on Thursday by a vote of 116 to 20, with 53 abstentions. 

The resolution asks the Security Council to refer North Korea to the ICC and to consider targeted sanctions against the Pyongyang leadership for the repression of its citizens.  The Security Council could pick it up on Monday, but it will likely face opposition from China and Russia – both with veto power to make the issue go away.

A UN investigation released its report back in February, revealing the “unspeakable atrocities” faced by ordinary North Koreans everyday.  It details evidence of torture, political repression and other abuses.

The report added that people accused of political crimes were “disappeared” to prison camps, where they were subject to "deliberate starvation, forced labor, executions, torture, rape and the denial of reproductive rights enforced through punishment, forced abortion, and infanticide”.

Most of the evidence came from North Korean defectors who had fled the country.  Pyongyang refused to cooperate with the investigation and condemned the findings.