South Korea enters non-permanent membership of UN Security Council

South Korea, along with Algeria, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Guyana, was elected as non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council on June 6 at the U.N. headquarter in New York. This is the third time after the election of non-permanent members for terms 1996-97 and 2013-14.

192 out of 193 U.N. member countries participated in the vote. Korea, which ran alone in the Asia-Pacific Group, was elected as a member of the Asia-Pacific Group with 180 votes out of 192 valid votes. In order to be elected as a member of the Security Council, more than two-thirds of the 193 UN member countries should attend and support.

The Security Council is an organization with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, closely consulting and seeking solutions to important issues that threaten international stability, including armed conflicts around the world. The Security Council is also the only institution that can make international legally binding decisions against U.N. member states if necessary.

The Korean government has been pushing to enter the Security Council as a non-permanent member to strengthen its role as a responsible country in defending the international order based on universal values and international norms stipulated by the U.N. Charter. Korea’s entry into the non-permanent membership of the Security Council is expected to serve as an important opportunity to realize the vision of a global pivotal country that contributes to the freedom, peace and prosperity of the international community.

Korea is a country that has overcome the devastation of war with the support of the international community, including the United Nations.This nation is deeply aware of the importance of promoting international peace and security through the United Nations. Based on this perception, Korea plans to lead emerging security discussions such as cybersecurity, climate,peacekeeping as well as security within the Security Council.

Five non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected annually at the General Assembly in consideration of the member states' contributions to peacekeeping and regional allocation. Non-permanent seats are allocated to three countries in Africa, two in Asia, one in Eastern Europe, two in Latin America, and two in Western Europe and other regions.