A United Nations' resolution on North Korea's human rights conditions will be discussed at the world body's plenary session in mid-December while Seoul and others are in talks over whether to put the issue on the agenda of the U.N. Security Council, an official said Wednesday.

A U.N. General Assembly committee last month passed a resolution calling for the referral of the country's human rights violations to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The move came after a U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) published a report in February that accused Pyongyang of "systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights." The COI recommended that the Security Council refer Pyongyang's "crimes against humanity" to the ICC.

A high-ranking official at Seoul's foreign ministry said that the resolution is expected to be dealt with at the plenary session on Dec. 18-19.

He said that Chad, which is assuming the rotating UN Security Council presidency for December, has been in talks with Seoul and other countries over whether to put North Korea's human rights conditions on the agenda for the U.N. Security Council.

"Once the North's human rights issue is put to the table, it can be raised at any time at the Security Council for at least for three years," the official said, asking not to be named.

The move comes as the international community is trying to keep alive attention on Pyongyang's dismal rights situation.

The veto wielded by the five permanent members doesn't apply to the selection of agenda items so that nine votes out of 15 are sufficient to raise the issue.

The composition of the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council will change from January, possibly hampering efforts to put the issue on the table.

Half of the 10 non-permanent members including South Korea will see their two-year terms finish at the end of this year, according to the U.N website. All five non-permanent members voted for the U.N. resolution.

Only two out of the next five would-be non-permanent members -- Spain and New Zealand -- voted for the General Assembly resolution on the human rights issue. Malaysia and Angola abstained while Venezuela opposed it.

"Once the issue is put on the table, discussions will take place at the Security Council," the official said. "But it is very difficult to expect any kind of action (against the North) by the Security Council."

China and Russia, permanent members of the body, are opposed to passing country-specific resolutions. The referral of North Korea to the ICC is only possible with the endorsement of the Security Council.

A United Nations' resolution on North Korea's human rights conditions will be discussed at the world body's plenary session in mid-December while Seoul and others are in talks over whether to put the issue on the agenda of the U.N. Security Council, an official said Wednesday.

A U.N. General Assembly committee last month passed a resolution calling for the referral of the country's human rights violations to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The move came after a U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) published a report in February that accused Pyongyang of "systematic, widespread and grave violations of human rights." The COI recommended that the Security Council refer Pyongyang's "crimes against humanity" to the ICC.

A high-ranking official at Seoul's foreign ministry said that the resolution is expected to be dealt with at the plenary session on Dec. 18-19.

He said that Chad, which is assuming the rotating UN Security Council presidency for December, has been in talks with Seoul and other countries over whether to put North Korea's human rights conditions on the agenda for the U.N. Security Council.

"Once the North's human rights issue is put to the table, it can be raised at any time at the Security Council for at least for three years," the official said, asking not to be named.

The move comes as the international community is trying to keep alive attention on Pyongyang's dismal rights situation.

The veto wielded by the five permanent members doesn't apply to the selection of agenda items so that nine votes out of 15 are sufficient to raise the issue.

The composition of the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council will change from January, possibly hampering efforts to put the issue on the table.

Half of the 10 non-permanent members including South Korea will see their two-year terms finish at the end of this year, according to the U.N website. All five non-permanent members voted for the U.N. resolution.

Only two out of the next five would-be non-permanent members -- Spain and New Zealand -- voted for the General Assembly resolution on the human rights issue. Malaysia and Angola abstained while Venezuela opposed it.

"Once the issue is put on the table, discussions will take place at the Security Council," the official said. "But it is very difficult to expect any kind of action (against the North) by the Security Council."

China and Russia, permanent members of the body, are opposed to passing country-specific resolutions. The referral of North Korea to the ICC is only possible with the endorsement of the Security Council. (Yonhap)