Shin Won-sik: "North Korea is a UN member state... Illegal invasion of the South is a betrayal of the UN and the international community"

Shin Won-sik's Welcome Address at the Korea-UN Command Defense Ministers' Meeting
"Illegal South Invasion, a Serious Betrayal by the UN and the International Community"

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik warned that “unlike during the Korean War, if North Korea, a UN member state, conducts illegal incursions, it would be a serious betrayal of the UN and the international community.”

On the 14th, at the ‘ROK-UN Command Defense Ministers’ Meeting’ held at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, Minister Shin said in his welcoming remarks, “The gathering of UN Command member states in one place for the first time in 70 years is an opportunity to reaffirm the international community’s strong commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are attending the 55th SCM (Security Consultative Meeting) chairmanship event held at the Ministry of National Defense parade ground in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Minister Shin emphasized, “The UN Command has served as a core pillar of the Republic of Korea’s security for 70 years after the war,” adding, “The UN Command is a strong symbol of deterrence against North Korea’s military provocations.” He further stated, “In a situation where North Korea’s nuclear missile capabilities are advancing, the gathering of the UN Command is highly significant,” and warned, “If the countries that helped North Korea during the Korean War assist it again, they will face severe punishment like North Korea.”

The meeting was attended by Minister Shin, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and representatives from 17 UN Command member countries. The UN Command was established by a UN resolution following North Korea’s invasion on June 25, 1950. Since the signing of the armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, it has been responsible for managing the armistice and supporting the combined ROK-U.S. military command’s forces in emergencies. The Commander of United States Forces Korea, who is a four-star U.S. general, concurrently serves as the Commander of the UN Command and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. This meeting is significant as it is the first time defense ministers and representatives from Korea and UN Command member countries have gathered to discuss measures to deter war on the Korean Peninsula.

Immediately following the meeting, the member countries of the United Nations Command in Korea are expected to issue a joint declaration stating that they will respond, including re-engagement, if hostile acts or armed attacks threatening the security of the Republic of Korea on the Korean Peninsula recur. Additionally, the representatives are likely to urge North Korea in a joint statement to cease illegal activities such as nuclear missile development and to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.

General Paul LaCamera, Commander of the United Nations Command, is briefing on the current status of the United Nations Command at a meeting with key UN Command officials held on the afternoon of the 10th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.

The UN Command member countries include 14 nations that dispatched combat troops during the Korean War: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, T?rkiye, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, the Netherlands, Colombia, Greece, New Zealand, Belgium, France, and South Africa, as well as three countries that sent medical support units: Norway, Denmark, and Italy. The Ministry of National Defense evaluated this as “the first meeting where defense ministers and representatives from Korea and UN Command member countries gathered to explore the role of the UN Command in deterring war and maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as cooperation measures between Korea and UN Command member countries.”

Meanwhile, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Institute for Disarmament and Peace issued a statement the day before, claiming that this meeting “shows that the security landscape of the Korean Peninsula is becoming more firmly entrenched in a war-oriented structure,” and called for the dissolution of the UN Command.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.