The Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK) to the United Nations delivered a statement at the Plenary Meeting of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on November 16 on the matter of reform of the UN Security Council.

The statement is as follows.

Mr. President,

The delegation of the DPRK would like, first of all, to commend your tremendous efforts for making this session successful.

The current meeting provides very important occasion for the Security Council to have its activities for maintaining international peace and security reviewed and evaluated by the entire UN member states.

Taking note of the Report of the UN Security Council and the results of the inter-governmental negotiations on its reform, the delegation of the DPRK wishes to state the following views on the agenda item.

First, the Security Council must strictly adhere to international justice and impartiality in its all activities.

Until now even after 75 years of the founding of the United Nations, the Security Council does not extricate itself from the stigma of an undemocratic organ devoid of impartiality.

As is well known, illegal armed invasions and air strikes against sovereign states resulting in civilian killings are left unquestioned, whereas the righteous self-defensive measures for safeguarding sovereignty and even the exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes are labeled and condemned as threats to international peace.

Ever more unscrupulous are the unauthorized acts of meddling in the issues including human rights, which go far beyond its competence.

The arbitrariness and high-handedness of certain countries abusing the Security Council for their political and military purposes with no regard to the UN Charter and international law should be thoroughly rejected and the practice of double standards and unfairness should no longer be tolerated.

Second, the Security Council should be reformed on the principle of ensuring full representation of the Non-Aligned and other developing countries.

The composition of the Security Council as it is now neither reflects today’s reality where the UN membership increased substantially since its inception, nor properly represents the Non-Aligned and other developing countries in particular.

Therefore, developing countries now making up the majority of the United Nations should be given not only non-permanent membership but also permanent membership of Security Council, so that they can raise their voices equally representing the international society.

This is badly needed also for ensuring impartiality and transparency in the Security Council activities.

Since it is not so easy to agree on the enlarged permanent membership due to serious divergence of views among member states, it is reasonable to go ahead with increasing the non-permanent membership.

Third, even in case the permanent membership is expanded, countries like Japan should never be permitted to become its membership.

Japan is a war criminal state that had inflicted immeasurable misfortunes and sufferings upon the humankind by invading many Asian countries including Korea and provoking the Pacific War in last century.

In Korea alone, Japan committed extra-large crime against humanity unprecedented in human history such as forcible abduction and drafting of 8.4 million, massacre of one million and sexual slavery of 200,000 for the Japanese army.

However, Japan as a war criminal state, has yet to make thorough apologies and reparations for its unheard-of A-class crime against humanity committed against the Korean people.

Such a country is seeking a permanent membership of the Security Council whose main responsibility is to maintain international peace and security. It is no more than a mockery of and insult to the United Nations.

If Japan is allowed to become a permanent member of the Security Council, it is crystal clear that it will only repeat its past stained with aggression and plunder, far from contributing to maintaining international peace and security, and there is also no guarantee that it will not bring about the tragedy of plunging the world into another war.

The delegation of the DPRK hopes that the deliberation of this agenda item will make active contribution to reforming the Security Council into a fair and accountable organ.

Thank you.