Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Security Council reform necessary, but not easy: UN General Assembly president
United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis speaks during a press briefing at a hotel in Seoul, Friday, the last day of his three-day visit to Korea. Yonhap
By Lee Hyo-jin
Head of key UN body hopes N.Korea-Russia dialogue does not escalate inter-Korean tensions
The powerlessness of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in addressing international conflicts due to its veto-wielding members was highlighted once again after the council failed to adopt a Brazil-drafted resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war after the United States vetoed the measure, Wednesday.
The ongoing deadlock of the UNSC that has prevented the body from effectively dealing with violation of international laws such as Russia's invasion on Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear provocations has prompted calls from many member states for a structural reform of the Security Council, the only U.N. body with the authority to issue binding resolutions.
During his speech at the U.N. General Assembly in September, President Yoon Suk Yeol also expressed support for the reform while accusing Russia ― a permanent member of the council ― of suspected arms trade with North Korea.
Dennis Francis, president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said the Security Council reform remains a key objective of the U.N. system, but official negotiations on the issue have not taken place yet. The UNGA is the main policymaking body of the U.N.
"I wish I had a brilliant answer," Francis said during a press briefing in Seoul, Friday, when asked about the UNSC reform.
"There has been a process of discussing what type of security council members would like to see. However, official negotiations on that score are yet to be commenced."
"Please bear in mind that the reform of the council is going to be a process. It will not be an event. We won't awaken one morning, tomorrow morning or next week and discover that there is a new Security Council," he said.
He then stressed the importance of South Korea's role as a non-permanent member of the UNSC beginning January 2024. The UNSC consists of five permanent members – the U.S., the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia – and 10 non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for a term of two years.
"I have every reason to believe that it (South Korea) is going to be an active and credible member of the Security Council given its own history and deep commitment to international peace and security," Francis said.
Friday's press conference was held on the last day of Francis' three-day trip in Korea. It was his first official overseas travel as the UNGA president since taking office in September.
On Thursday, Francis met with South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin, during which the two sides shared concerns about potential weapons trade between Russia and North Korea.
"We did reference the fact that Russia and North Korea are having dialogue. Our hope is that out of that dialogue (between North Korea and Russia), nothing would be done or no new policy measures would be developed that would in any way increase tensions on the peninsula or violate the terms of the (Korean) Armistice Agreement," Francis said.
During the meeting, Park called for multilateral cooperation in addressing human rights abuses in North Korea.
Foreign Minister Park Jin shakes hands with United Nations General Assembly President Dennis Francis during a meeting of Council of Presidents of the U.N. General Assembly, at the ministry headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
But China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors ―an issue that the South Korean government has been actively calling for international attention on ― was not included in the talks between Park and Francis, according to the latter.
"Our conversation did not focus in any detail on the role of China in Korea, South Korea's relationship with North Korea. It was not discussed at all,” Francis told reporters.
Meanwhile, Francis hailed the South Korean government's decision to increase its official development aid (ODA) budget for 2024 by 40 percent at a record high of 6.8 trillion won ($5 billion).
“It's a very impressive number at a time when globally, resources from the wealthy countries seem to be increasingly reduced. But the Korean government has taken the strategic decision to act and to move in the opposite direction to help and support people living in desperate circumstances,” he said.
Francis also touched on the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, stressing the need for urgent humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
"What we are facing is an international humanitarian catastrophe. And in those circumstances, those who suffer the most and bear the brunt of the costs of military engagement are civilians primarily ... women and children."