September 25, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea’s foreign minister urged Russia and North Korea to immediately cease all activities that violate UN Security Council resolutions, speaking at an official UNSC session attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian delegation.
Cho Hyun, serving as Council president, presided over official UN Security Council briefings on the Middle East and the war in Ukraine held at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, during UN General Assembly High-Level Week, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
“Taking note of the ongoing discussions among the US, Russia, Ukraine and European partners, we hope these efforts will contribute to the realization of a peaceful settlement,” Cho said during the UNSC meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We remain gravely concerned about military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including transfers of ballistic missiles and arms, as well as troop deployments. These actions constitute clear violations of the UN Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions unanimously adopted by this body.”
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Cho emphasized that such military cooperation weakens the global nonproliferation regime, fuels the war in Ukraine and heightens security risks on the Korean Peninsula.
Cho further explained that North Korea’s participation in the Ukraine war shows that the conflict’s repercussions extend beyond Europe to other regions, including Northeast Asia, and pose a threat to international peace and security worldwide.
“We urge both Russia and the DPRK to immediately cease all activities that violate relevant Security Council resolutions,” Cho said.
“All members must uphold the credibility of this body by ensuring that violations of international law are not ignored. The international community cannot allow aggression to be legitimized or rewarded.”
During another official UNSC meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, Cho called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, compliance with international humanitarian law and support for a two-state solution that recognizes Palestinian statehood.
“We believe that the two-state solution is the only viable pathway to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue and to build lasting peace,” Cho said.
Cho underlined that the South Korean government will continue to play its due role in the international community’s growing efforts to build peace and stability in the region based on a two-state solution.
Cho added that South Korea “deeply understands the Palestinian people’s aspiration to establish their own state.”
“Taking all considerations into account, Korea is committed to recognizing Palestinian statehood at a time when it would be genuinely conducive to realizing the two-state solution,” Cho further explained.
South Korea began its two-year tenure as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council at the start of 2024.
September marks the second time South Korea has assumed the presidency during its current tenure, following June 2024. The presidency of the council rotates in alphabetical order of the member states‘ names, with each holding the position for one month.
The UN Security Council — the sole authority empowered to render legally binding decisions on the 193 UN member states — plays a pivotal role in the global collective security system.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
