North Korea’s UN membership under fire

NEW YORK: South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se accused North Korea yesterday of “totally ridiculing” the authority of the UN through its nuclear and missile tests and said it was time to reconsider whether it was qualified for UN membership.

In an address to the annual UN General Assembly, Yun said the UN’s Security Council should adopt “stronger, comprehensive” sanctions on North Korea and close loopholes in existing measures.

“North Korea’s repeated violations and non-compliance of Security Council resolutions and international norms is unprecedented and has no parallel in the history of the UN,” Yun said.

“North Korea is totally ridiculing the authority of the General Assembly and the Security Council,” he said.

“Therefore, I believe it is high time to seriously reconsider whether North Korea is qualified as a peace-loving UN member, as many countries are already questioning.”

He said it was the “last chance” to put a brake on its nuclear ambitions.

Yun also called for action against North Korea’s violations of the rights of its people, and said there should be greater focus on North Korean workers abroad and the possible diversion of their wages to weapons programmes. – Reuters