US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to NHK on Thursday after the UN Security Council held an open debate about the human rights situation in North Korea. She said she hopes council's message is being heard.

Thomas-Greenfield said, "We know that those human rights violations, the forced labor, the abductions are being used to fuel their WMD program, and we need to pay attention to that. That's our responsibility."

Council members previously held regular meetings on the human rights situation in North Korea. Thomas-Greenfield said she hopes this will be the first of many more.

She also issued a statement along with delegates from more than 50 nations calling on all UN members to hold the North Korean government accountable.