In its report to the UN General Assembly in 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry, which led an investigation into the North Korean human rights situation, recommended the Security Council refer the case to the ICC.

"Let's not forget that one important recommendation of the human rights framework of the UN is to ask the Security Council to refer the case of DPRK to the ICC and that recommendation is still alive," he said, calling North Korea by the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "It is the responsibility of the Security Council to properly consider." 

Quintana also added that the human rights issue should be part of the agenda for any future talks with North Korea.

"While I am encouraged by the possibility that diplomatic talks with the DPRK on the issue of denuclearization may resume in the near future, I also wish to emphasize that human rights should be an essential part of this agenda," according to him.

Quintana also urged the UN Security Council to be wary of any reverse impact on the livelihood of common North Koreans when it imposes and implement economic sanctions over the country's nuclear and missile developments.

"Let me here recall the need to design and implement international sanctions in a way that considers their potential adverse impact on human rights and on economic livelihood."

He also pointed to North Korea's unprecedented ratio of defense costs and increased border controls, which further bite into the livelihood of its citizens.

"What I find particularly worrisome is the widening gap in living standards between Pyongyang residents and the majority of the population. It is alarming that this situation occurs in a country that is devoting a vast proportion of its resources to its defense budget and strengthening its border controls in unprecedented ways," he said, adding that a major shift is required in North Korea to fulfill the basic needs of the population. (Yonhap)