UN General Assembly Opens 'High-Level Week'... Will There Be Criticism of North Korea?

Will World Leaders Condemn North Korea at the UN Stage?
President Yoon Absent... First Time in 8 Years Without a Korean Leader
North Korea Likely to Send Ambassador-Level Official Instead of Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui

The United Nations General Assembly's 'High-Level Week,' during which world leaders deliver messages on major issues, has commenced. With North Korea openly escalating nuclear threats by revealing a highly enriched uranium (HEU) production facility ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, attention is focused on whether condemnation messages will be issued.

According to the UN and others on the 24th, the 79th UN General Assembly general debate opened at the UN headquarters in New York. It is an occasion where world leaders raise issues or propose solutions regarding various challenges facing the international community.

President Yoon Seok-yeol delivering the keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, in September 2023. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In his speech last September, President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized, saying, "If North Korea obtains information and technology necessary to enhance its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities in exchange for providing conventional weapons to Russia, the military transactions between Russia and North Korea will be provocations directly targeting not only Ukraine but also the security and peace of the Republic of Korea," adding, "The Republic of Korea and its allies and partners will not stand idly by." He also pointed out the 'self-contradictory' nature of North Korea-Russia cooperation, noting that Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

However, this year’s schedule will see Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol attending. It is the first time since 2016 that the Korean head of state will not participate. This is regrettable as the intensity and weight of the remarks are inevitably expected to be relatively diminished.

U.S. President Joe Biden will take the podium second. In last year’s speech, he mentioned weapons of mass destruction and condemned North Korea’s continuous violations of UN Security Council resolutions. Former President Donald Trump also delivered a strong warning message on the UN stage in 2017, referring to North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un as 'Rocket Man.' This time as well, the U.S. is expected to issue warnings targeting North Korea and Russia.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is nearing the end of his term, will speak on the third day. Last year, he expressed willingness to engage with North Korea by proposing an 'unconditional meeting' with Chairman Kim. Given Japan’s strong commitment to resolving the abduction issue, attention will be on whether this year’s speech will include proposals for dialogue or negotiations with the North.

North Korea is expected to have a speech delivered by a diplomat-level official. Although Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has recently reappeared on the diplomatic stage, including a visit to Russia, she is not expected to attend the UN General Assembly.