South Korea Begins UN Security Council Presidency Activities After 10 Years

South Korea, a non-permanent elected member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), officially began its duties as the rotating president for the month of June on the 3rd (local time). Taking on the presidency, South Korea is also pushing to hold an official UNSC meeting in mid-June with the issue of North Korean human rights on the agenda.

Ambassador Hwang Jun-kook to the United Nations [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the UN Headquarters, the Security Council held an informal consultation chaired by Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk, South Korea's Permanent Representative to the UN, on the morning of the same day to finalize the Security Council's agenda for June.

In a briefing after the informal consultation, Ambassador Hwang stated, "The stability of the Korean Peninsula is one of our core interests," adding, "From this perspective, we are prepared to convene a meeting in response to any provocations from North Korea."

Regarding the recent escalation of tensions with North Korea, he said, "North Korea has carried out significant provocations in recent days, including the launch of short-range ballistic missiles, testing of military reconnaissance satellites, and sending strange balloons filled with trash," adding, "We are responding firmly to North Korea's provocations, including convening a Security Council meeting last week."

He also confirmed that an official Security Council meeting addressing North Korean human rights issues will be pursued in mid-June. To hold the meeting, a procedural vote requiring the support of at least nine member states is necessary. Ambassador Hwang emphasized, "The human rights and humanitarian situation in North Korea is closely linked to its aggressive development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and nuclear weapons," adding, "This is why North Korea's human rights situation is being addressed as an official agenda item of the Security Council."

The presidency of the Security Council rotates monthly among the 15 member states in alphabetical order of their country names. The president chairs various official and informal meetings of the Security Council and holds the authority to represent the Council to other UN member states and UN agencies. It has been 10 years since South Korea last held the Security Council presidency, which was in May 2014 during its previous term as a non-permanent member.

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