The UN General Assembly has adopted for the 18th straight year a resolution urging North Korea to immediately return all foreign nationals it has abducted.

The assembly adopted the resolution without a vote on Thursday. It has been submitted by the European Union every year. More than 60 countries, including Japan and South Korea, co-sponsored the resolution this year.

The resolution says the UN condemns in the strongest terms North Korea's long-standing and systematic violations of human rights.

It also expresses serious concerns about the grave suffering inflicted on those who were abducted against their will and their families.

The resolution also criticizes North Korea for using national resources for missile development, and not for the welfare of its people.

China and Russia said they do not support the resolution. North Korean ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song said it is a politically motivated provocation, and that the country rejects it. He left the General Assembly in the middle of the session.