Did I miss something, but when did the US government begin to care about North Korean human rights?

A North Korean state-run newspaper has denounced the United States and other countries for taking issue with its human rights conditions.

In an editorial on Sunday, the Rodong Sinmun said “imperialistic countries, including the U.S., are linking humanitarian issues with human rights issues for political bargaining purposes.”

The daily said that such imperialists are seeking to change the North’s communist regime by offering to give humanitarian aid only after the North settles issues regarding human rights conditions. The editorial said that such imperialists are seeking to alter the social system of other countries under the pretext of protecting human rights.

The denunciation comes as the U.N. Human Rights Council is expected to soon pass a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights violations.  [KBS Global]

The current US administration’s North Korea envoy in an entire Newsweek editorial didn’t even mention North Korean human rights once.  ROK Drop readers may remember that last week North Korea was offered US food aid which they rejected, which had no human rights strings attached to it.  This is all just more rhetoric from North Korea to deflect the criticism from the UNHRC.