North Korea rejects U.N. human rights report as 'criminals' lies'

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong addresses the Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations in Geneva March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA (Reuters) - A landmark U.N. human rights report on North Korea published last year was based on the "lies of a few criminals" and has been proven to be false, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.

"As far as the human rights situation in our country is concerned, the hostile forces are only interested to hear from such scum of mankind as the so-called defectors from the North who fled abandoning their parents, wives and children after committing crimes at home," Ri said.