UNC member states vow united response against North Korean attack

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik speaks during the inaugural defense ministerial meeting of the United Nations Command and South Korea at the conference room of the ministry in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis

South Korea and 17 member nations of the United Nations Command (UNC) vowed, Tuesday, a united response in case of any renewal of hostilities or armed attack by North Korea.

In the inaugural defense ministerial meeting in Seoul, defense chiefs and representatives of the host country and UNC member states adopted a joint statement calling for North Korea to “cease any unlawful behavior” and respect U.N. Security Council resolutions.

“The UNC member states declared that they will be united upon any renewal of hostilities or armed attack on the Korean Peninsula challenging the principles of the United Nations and the security of the Republic of Korea,” the statement said.

“In managing persistent security challenges, the defense ministers and representatives determined to continue increasing mutual exchange and cooperation between the ROK-U.S. Alliance and UNC Member States to inform our combined training and exercises.”

The UNC was established in July 1950 under a U.N. mandate to support South Korea against North Korean forces armed with Soviet weapons amid intensifying Cold War tensions. Since the war ended in an armistice in July 1953, the UNC has played a role as an armistice agreement enforcer and a facilitator for inter-Korean relations.

“The UNC member states reaffirmed that the promise and spirit of the 1953 Armistice Agreement continues to be necessary for the protection of peace and democracy on the Korean Peninsula today as it was in the past,” the statement said.

“In particular, the defense ministers and representatives recognized the function of all Member States and the host nation of the ROK in managing, implementing, and enforcing the terms of armistice. They recognized the utility of the armistice in providing mechanisms for preserving the cessation of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula.”

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin stands during the inaugural defense ministerial meeting of the United Nations Command and South Korea at the conference room of the ministry in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis

In a collective voice, they "strongly condemned" North Korea’s development of nuclear and other advanced weapons, saying it is a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. The participants emphasized the profound role the organization can play in ensuring the full implementation of the resolutions against its weapons programs.

In a speech at the beginning of the event, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the UNC is the model case of international forces united under the same goal of protecting universal values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

“It also stands as a symbol of strong deterrence against North Korea’s military provocation,” Shin said. “North Korea has been diversifying the delivery means of its nuclear weapons and enshrined its policy for nuclear capabilities in its constitution. Given the situation, it means a great deal that representatives of UNC member states gather together here after 70 years.”

When North Korea started the Korean War, it was just a member of the communist bloc in a divided world. But after the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea, along with the South, joined the U.N. in 1991.

“If North Korea illegally invades South Korea again, it would be a U.N. member country attacking the UNC, a self-contradiction,” he said. “This would leave the UNC no choice but to respond strongly.”

In an apparent warning to China, he added, “If the country which helped North Korea during the Korean War decides to do so again, that country would also be punished.”

The meeting is part of South Korea’s security strategy to expand ties with the UNC at a time when the country is working on, though very slowly, taking over wartime operation control from the U.S. Along with the U.S. Forces Korea and the Combined Forces Command (under which U.S. and South Korean forces serve jointly in wartime), the UNC is one of the three key command structures for the defense of South Korea.

The meeting came a day after Austin and Shin held annual defense talks, where the allies updated a bilateral security agreement with the objective of more effectively countering North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats.