A United States diplomat called North Korea a “living nightmare” Monday, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the country’s dismal human rights record.

The meeting examined testimony from North Korean exiles and included stories of prison guards routinely raping prisoners, and others who had to dig kernels of corn out of cow dung to eat.

“They [the reports] show North Korea for what it is: a living nightmare,” said Samantha Powers, U.S. Ambassador to the UN.

See photos: Sony Hack Attack Timeline: From First Cyberbreach and Leaks to ‘The Interview’ Dropped (Photos)

Powers and the 15-member UN Security Council also dismissed North Korea’s demand for a joint investigation with the United States into the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment, calling it absurd. North Korea had the right to attend the session and defend itself, but chose not to.

On Friday, President Barack Obama declared the North Korean government responsible for the Sony hack attack and promised the U.S. would deliver a “proportional response.”

Also Read: Sony’s Plan to Release ‘The Interview’ On Dish Network Falls Apart

On Monday, the isolated Communist country experienced a high volume of Internet outages, but the White House National Security Council and the U.S. Department of State both declined taking credit for any possible disruption.

“We have no new information to share regarding North Korea today,” NSC spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said in a statement to TheWrap. “If in fact, North Korea’s Internet has gone down, we’d refer you to that government for comment.”

President Obama called the hacking “cyber vandalism,” but stopped short of describing it as an act of war. For its part, North Korea denied involvement in the hack but on Sunday, the hermit nation said the U.S. government “conceived and produced” the film, “The Interview” and threatened to “blow up” the White House.