The recent exchange of warning between the leaders of the United States and North Korea serve as a distraction from the existential issues that ordinary North Koreans face, UN Human Rights expert Tomas Ojea Quintana said in a press release on Friday.
“These threats divert attention from the situation of ordinary North Koreans, whose subsistence and protection needs should be treated as an absolute priority,” Quintana stated.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that North Korea would face an unprecedented level of “fire and fury” if it continues to threaten the United States.
In response, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang was considering an attack on the western pacific island of Guam, which hosts multiple US military bases.
Quintana called for constructive dialogue and an urgent de-escalation of tensions, both of which are vital to bring North Korea’s domestic issues back into focus.