In this file photo, people wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, April 1, 2020. (CHA SONG HO / AP)

SEOUL - A UN human rights official has called on the international community to urgently consider lifting sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that may be worsening problems from its coronavirus lockdown, according to a draft report released on Thursday.

The DPRK, which has not reported any confirmed infections, has been subjected to UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, with ever tighter measures imposed in recent years.

The DPRK, which has not reported any confirmed infections, has been subjected to UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs

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It imposed strict border controls this year among tough measures against the virus, just when it was reeling from sanctions, as well as “unusually bad weather conditions,” Tomas Ojea Quintana wrote.

While the DPRK’s strictures aim to protect its people’s rights to life and health, the severe lockdowns have had an adverse effect on trade, added Quintana, who is the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in the DPRK.

The fallout on trade, in turn, could affect food supplies and access to humanitarian aid, he said in the report, which is to be submitted next week to the UN General Assembly.

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“Under the unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Special Rapporteur believes that the international responsibility for re-evaluating the sanctions regime is more urgent than ever,” he concluded.

Greater implementation of sanctions has started to “seriously affect the entire economy of the country,” with adverse consequences for people’s economic and social rights, he added.