South Korea Elected as UN Security Council Non-Permanent Member... Reenters After 11 Years (Comprehensive)

South Korea has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). As a result, in 2024, South Korea, the United States, and Japan will simultaneously serve as Security Council members.

On the 6th (local time), South Korea was elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2024?2025 term at the election held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, alongside Algeria, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Guyana.

Ambassador Hwang Jun-guk to the United Nations participated in the vote at the UN General Assembly non-permanent Security Council election held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, on the 6th (local time). On this day, Korea was elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council by receiving 180 votes in favor, more than two-thirds of the 192 member states that participated in the vote.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

South Korea, the sole candidate from the Asia-Pacific region, received 180 votes out of 192 member states present at the vote. To be elected as a Security Council member, a candidate must secure the support of at least two-thirds of the voting members. In Africa, Algeria and Sierra Leone were elected unopposed, and in Latin America, Guyana was also elected unopposed. In Eastern Europe, Slovenia, supported by Western countries, competed against Belarus, an ally of Russia, with Slovenia ultimately securing the seat on the Security Council.

The Security Council is the primary body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It closely consults and seeks solutions on critical issues threatening international peace and security, including armed conflicts worldwide. It is also the only UN body that can make decisions binding under international law on UN member states when necessary. It is composed of five permanent members known as the P5 (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia) and ten non-permanent members, whose terms last two years.

South Korea’s return to the Security Council comes 11 years after its last term in 2013?2014. Since joining the UN in 1991, South Korea has previously served as a non-permanent member in 1996?1997 and 2013?2014.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Notably, with South Korea’s election as a non-permanent member this time, 2024 will mark the second occasion since 1997 that South Korea, the United States, and Japan will simultaneously serve as Security Council members. This is expected to expand opportunities for cooperation and solidarity among the three countries on various global issues.

South Korea anticipates that its entry into the Security Council will broaden its diplomatic horizons and bring it closer to its goal of becoming a 'global pivotal state.' In line with this vision, South Korea announced four key pledges during its Security Council non-permanent member election campaign: contributions to peacekeeping operations (PKO) and peacebuilding, contributions to women, peace, and security, contributions to cybersecurity, and contributions to combating climate change. Furthermore, South Korea is expected to take a more active role in Security Council discussions on Korean Peninsula issues, including responses to North Korea’s nuclear threats.