North Korea slams UK for 'miserable' maltreatment of children

People wave the flags in a celebration of the nation's 73rd founding anniversary in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 9. AP-Yonhap

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday accused the United Kingdom of severe maltreatment of children and warned against meddling in the human rights of other countries.

The ministry said on its website a recent report by the Netherlands-based "Kid's Rights Foundation" has ranked the U.K. in 169th among 182 countries, calling it a "fair and objective judgment" by the international society about the miserable situation of children's rights in the UK.

"One Western media deplored that the U.K. has killed numerous children in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries under the pretext of 'counter-terrorism' but those responsible are enjoying impunity and unfettered life under the protection of the British government," it said.

The ministry said the report shows the "true facade" of the U.K., which "habitually admonishes and meddles" in the human rights of other countries and urged the UK to first redress its own human rights issue.

North Korea ranked 113th in the report. The North has long been labeled as one of the world's worst human rights violators. (Yonhap)