By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on February 23 (New York time), and exchanged views on Korea-United Nations cooperation, South Korea’s Security Council membership, North Korea, and key international issues.

Minister Cho praised Secretary-General Guterres' leadership in resolving international issues such as the Gaza crisis in an era of unprecedented complex crises, and expressed his commitment to actively support the Secretary-General's efforts to promote sustainable development in the international community under Korea’s vision of a global pivotal nation.

Minister Cho then conveyed Korea's strong commitment to promoting international peace and security based on its experience in peacekeeping operations (PKOs) and peacebuilding as a member of the UN Security Council for the 2024-25 term. 

In particular, he explained that Korea will focus on peacekeeping and peacebuilding, women, peace and security, cybersecurity, and climate as it assumes the presidency of the Security Council. 

In June, when Korea will assume the Security Council presidency, it would like to make contributions in areas such as North Korea and cybersecurity, and asked for Secretary-General Guterres' cooperation in taking over the presidency.

Mr. Guterres welcomed Minister Cho’s first visit to the United Nations as Foreign Minister and expressed his appreciation for his government's contributions at the United Nations. 

He also emphasized that Korea's role as a bridge has become more important as the Security Council is unable to reach consensus on major issues due to factional conflicts. In particular, he expressed confidence that Minister Cho, who served as the ROK's Ambassador to the United Nations, will successfully lead the ROK's bid for a Security Council seat, and pledged the ROK's cooperation and support at the UN level. 

Minister Cho and Secretary-General Guterres exchanged views on global issues, including Myanmar, Afghanistan, and the Israeli-Hamas armed conflict. In particular, Secretary-General Guterres explained the status of the UN's investigation into the alleged involvement of some UNRWA staff in attacks on Israel, and Minister Cho assessed the UN's efforts to resolve the allegations through transparent investigations.

On the other hand, Cho assessed Secretary-General Guterres's active role in efforts to end North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations and return to the denuclearization dialogue, and said that as a Security Council member, South Korea will continue to engage more actively with the international community to respond to North Korea's provocations and promote human rights in North Korea. 

Guterres reaffirmed his commitment to working together to denuclearize North Korea and improve human rights in North Korea.