S. Korea to wrap up 2-yr term as elected UN Security Council member

In this Getty Images photo, diplomats participate in a United Nations meeting of the UN Security Council in New York City, May 11, 2022, where they discussed recent missile tests by North Korea. AFP-Yonhap

South Korea was set to end its two-year term as an elected member of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) this week, marking its third stint on the U.N.'s core body tasked with maintaining global peace and security.

South Korea's term as a nonpermanent UNSC member will end on Wednesday (New York time), the foreign ministry said. It was elected to the council in June 2023, along with four other countries, comprising Algeria, Sierra Leone, Guyana and Slovenia.

It was the first time in 11 years that South Korea was elected to the UNSC, following the previous stints in 1996-97 and 2013-14.

The UNSC consists of five permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia, and 10 nonpermanent members, five of whom are elected every year.

The UNSC is the only U.N. body that has power to make binding decisions on U.N. member states, such as through sanctions like arms embargoes, and it can also authorize peacekeeping missions or military action to stop threats to peace. All U.N. members are legally obligated to comply with its resolutions.

Elected members are vested with the same authority as permanent members to deliver statements at Security Council meetings, submit draft resolutions and vote on resolutions, but they do not possess veto power.

As an elected member, South Korea sought to address new security challenges amid a rapidly changing international landscape, hosting two high-level open dates on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) during its respective terms as UNSC president, the ministry said in a release.

The open debate on AI and international peace and security, in particular, was widely seen as enhancing South Korea's standing as a leading country in emerging technologies and an occasion that underscored its commitment to playing a proactive role in addressing future security threats, the ministry said.

South Korea also drew attention from the Global South, a broader grouping of developing countries in Africa and Latin America, when it voted in favor of Palestine's bid for full U.N. membership in a shift from its initial position that had aligned with the U.S.

South Korea also spoke out on North Korea's nuclear program and human rights issues, even as the UNSC has struggled to play a decisive role on major global security matters, including North Korea, amid deepening tensions between U.S.-led Western powers and Russia and China.

The UNSC convened multiple meetings when the North launched ballistic missiles and conducted military reconnaissance satellite tests in violation of UNSC sanctions.

South Korea held the UNSC presidency in June 2024 and September this year, a role given to each member on a rotating monthly basis. As president, the country presides over formal and informal UNSC meetings and represents the council in interactions with other U.N. member states and U.N. bodies.

South Korea took part in the decision-making process for peacekeeping operations and launched an initiative with other elected members to promote discussions on the future development of peacekeeping missions amid complex threats.

During its 2024-25 term, South Korea sought to emphasize respect for international law and the U.N. Charter, as well as the protection of civilians in conflict zones, at a time when conflicts intensified in multiple regions and confidence in the multilateral system underpinning the U.N. was eroding, the ministry said.

"Building on the experience and achievements we have accumulated as an elected UNSC member, the South Korean government will continue to expand its contributions to the promotion of international peace and security," it said.