North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, May 17. North Korea launched several short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast May 18, South Korea's semi-official news agency Yonhap cited the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying.
(CNN) -- North Korea reacted with indignation to a United Nations decision to investigate allegations of human rights abuses inside the isolated state, claiming it has one of the best systems worldwide for protecting citizens' rights.
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva said delegates agreed Thursday to set up a commission of inquiry to examine what it called "grave, widespread and systematic" violations of human rights in North Korea.
The decision followed a recent report submitted to the council by an independent expert alleging North Korea had committed a range of abuses, including torture, enslavement, enforced disappearances and murder.
Many of the alleged acts "may amount to crimes against humanity," according to the report's author, Marzuki Darusman, an Indonesian lawyer.
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The council's decision to take action on his report comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the North's latest underground nuclear test last month that prompted tougher U.N. sanctions on the regime of Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang has ramped up its rhetoric, issuing threats to Washington and Seoul on a near daily basis. Annual joint military exercises by U.S. and South Korean forces this month have fueled the North's ire.
Unsurprisingly, the North Korean representative at the U.N. Human Rights Council, So Se Pyong, had strong words Thursday about the move to establish the commission of inquiry.
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The draft resolution on the matter, adopted by the council without a vote, "is no more than an instrument that serves the political purposes of the hostile forces in their attempt to discredit the image of the DPRK," So said, using the shortened form of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
He warned of "serious consequences" if the council went ahead with the inquiry.
North Korean citizens are "happy with pride and honor that they have one of the best systems for promotion and protection of human rights in the world," So told the council, according to the U.N.
Reports of suffering
His assertions run counter to the accounts of many North Koreans who have fled the country telling of horrific conditions. Humanitarian workers and others who have visited the reclusive state have also described a suffering population.
Officials from other countries at the U.N. council disagreed with the North's version of reality.
"For too long, the population of the country has been subjected to widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses," said Gerard Corr, the Irish representative speaking on behalf of the European Union.
Human rights groups estimate that as many as 200,000 people are being held in a network of prison camps in North Korea that the regime is believed to use to crush political dissent.
In his report to the U.N. council, Darusman identified nine patterns of rights violations in North Korea, such as depriving people of food, arbitrary detentions and heavy restrictions on freedom of expression.
Under the issue of enforced disappearances, he also included the abductions of foreign citizens.
A leading human rights group called the decision to set up the commission "a landmark step."
"This long awaited inquiry will help expose decades of abuse by the North Korean government," said Julie de Rivero, advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.
"The establishment of this commission sends a strong message to Pyongyang that the world is watching and its abuses must end," she said.
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Kim Jong Un visits the Ministry of People's Security on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the country's May Day celebrations.
A North Korea soldier gestures to stop photographers from taking photos from a Chinese tour boat as other soldiers look on along the North Korean bank of the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiji across the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning province, China, on Saturday, April 6.
North Korean soldiers gather by the docks in Sinuiju near the Chinese border on Thursday, April 4.
North Korean soldiers patrol along the Yalu River in Sinuiju across the border from the Chinese city of Dandong on April 4.
Kim Jong Un is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."
Kim Jong Un works during a briefing in this undated photo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects drills by the Korean People's Army navy at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast on March 25 in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim makes his way to an observation post with North Korean soldiers on March 25.
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7.
Kim is greeted by the family of a soldier as he inspects Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on Thursday, March 7, in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7. North Korea has escalated its bellicose rhetoric, threatening nuclear strikes, just before the U.N. Security Council passed tougher sanctions against the secretive nation on March 7.
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on March 7.
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location on March 6.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, poses with chiefs of branch social security stations in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency on November 27.
Kim celebrates with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang, North Korea, during the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite, in a photo released by the official North Korean news agency on December 12.
A crowd watches as statues of the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang on April 13, 2012. Photos from North Korea are rare, but the country was on full display in April 2012 as it celebrated the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung.
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center on April 8, 2012.
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket, which broke apart and fell into the sea. The UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
North Koreans wave flags in front of portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and his son Kim Jong Il during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Kim Jong Un visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, which is under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released on July 3, 2012, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between Pyongyang and North Pyongan province on April 8, 2012.
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport during a diplomatic visit on May 2, 2001.
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