South Korea has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for its 2024-25 term. South Korea’s election to the UNSC comes at a time when North Korea has recently accelerated the development of its nuclear and missile programs. Amid North Korea’s military antics and China’s powerful activities in the region, South Korea can strengthen its voice in the Security Council.
This would benefit South Korea in that it would get an opportunity to increase its clout to raise the North Korean issue and other global security challenges on the global stage. According to international media reports, South Korea was elected as the only candidate nation in Asia in the voting held at the UNSC on Tuesday. He had earlier got a place in UNSC in 2013-14.
At Present, The Number Of Permanent Members Is 5.
During the United Nations General Assembly meeting, 180 out of 192 member states voted in its favour. The five permanent members of the UNSC are the US, China, France, the UK and Russia. At the same time, 10 temporary members are included, who are selected for two years each.
These Are Temporary Members
The non-permanent members are Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Switzerland, Ecuador, Japan, Malta and Mozambique. Five newly-elected countries, including Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, will join the UNSC in January 2024, replacing Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the UAE.
This membership is important for South Korea amidst the increasing provocation of North Korea.
As a new non-permanent member, South Korea is expected to raise its voice in the face of Pyongyang’s growing provocations and strengthen its trilateral cooperation with the US and Japan. However, this may have limits as it has no veto power.
A foreign ministry official told reporters that South Korea would likely become council president in June next year. This is the third time South Korea has been elected a non-permanent member of the UNSC. It was first elected during the period 1996–97.
