UN to investigate North Korea human rights abuses

The UN human rights council has set up an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea for the first time.

The council unanimously voted for the probe, which will examine allegations of prison camps, slave labour and food deprivation in the country.

North Korea denounced the resolution as a political ploy.

It is highly unlikely the team will be granted access to North Korea, so they will have to rely on satellite imagery and accounts from defectors.

North Korea's human rights record will now be under intense scrutiny, and evidence gathered by the team could be used in future prosecutions for crimes against humanity.

UN special rapporteur Marzuki Darusman, who presented the initial report on North Korea and will be a member of the inquiry, said that a key focus should be the country's prison camps.