File Photo: People with flowers in their hands attend a parade in central Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Cheng Dayu)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council should look into the possible negative impact of its sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the livelihood of the ordinary citizens in the country, said a UN human rights expert on Friday.

"The international security crisis over North Korea must not overshadow the human rights situation of millions of ordinary citizens in the country," said Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the DPRK, who has presented his report to the UN General Assembly.

He said he is not in a position to determine to what extent the sanctions have a negative impact as his requests for visits to the DPRK have been rejected. But he has information on examples of negative impact.

The sanctions may have prevented access to chemotherapeutic medicine for cancer patients and other medical supplies. The shipment of wheelchairs and essential equipment for persons with disabilities may have also been constrained. In addition, humanitarian actors are now facing difficulties to source much-needed supplies and carry out international financial transactions, he noted.

"History shows us that sanctions can have devastating impact on the civilian population. It is my conviction that a comprehensive assessment of the sanctions regime is needed in order to avoid unintended negative impact on human rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights, and that the sanctions regime does not impose what would effectively constitute a collective punishment on the ordinary citizens of the DPRK."

But he cautioned that he did not want to undermine what the Security Council is doing.

The escalation of political and military tensions as well as the continued use of harsh conflict rhetoric between the DPRK and other governments is a great source of concern, he said. The international community has a responsibility to ensure that these disputes do not result into an armed conflict that will have detrimental impact on human rights.

"The pursuit of de-nuclearization should not be at the risk of a nuclear war, and I urge all relevant actors to maintain an environment favourable to an open dialogue, including in the area of human rights," he said.

The Security Council has strengthened sanctions on the DPRK through a string of resolutions in response to Pyongyang's ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests, the latest round of sanctions being imposed last month. Now the sanctions cover bans on DPRK exports of coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, remittances by DPRK laborers working abroad, as well as the capping of the country's oil imports.