South Korea has cosponsored the annual U.N. resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea for the first time in four years, the foreign ministry announced Tuesday.

Seoul cosponsored the resolution at the U.N. General Assembly Third Committee on Monday after the EU put forward the resolution, according to ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk.

“The [South Korean] government believes that the North Korean human rights issue is a universal human rights issue and needs a consistent response based on principles,” Lim said at a press briefing Tuesday. 

The Yoon administration’s decision to endorse the resolution marks a major shift in South