S. Korea clinches seat on UN Human Rights Council

Seoul now holds leadership position in 3 key UN bodies

Voting is under way to elect members of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. (South Korea's permanent mission to the UN via Yonhap)

South Korea has secured a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, positioning itself for leadership in three key UN bodies in 2025: the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council and the Security Council.

South Korea was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term during a vote at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, local time, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul announced Thursday in a statement.

This term marks South Korea's sixth on the Human Rights Council since being a founding member in 2006. The country previously served during the 2006-08, 2008-11, 2013-15, 2016-18 and 2020-22 terms.

In 2022, South Korea faced its first-ever failure in its bid for the 2023-25 term. According to the Council’s rules, members serve three-year terms and cannot be immediately re-elected after serving two consecutive terms.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry stated, "In 2025, our country is poised to serve as a member state of the three major UN bodies: the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council."

South Korea is currently serving on the Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, following its election in June 2023, and on the Economic and Social Council for the 2023-2025 term, after being elected in June 2022.

The UN Human Rights Council is a crucial body within the United Nations, dedicated to upholding the pillar of human rights -- one of the UN's three core pillars, alongside peace and security, a focus of the Security Council, as well as sustainable development, under the purview of the Economic and Social Council.

"Our government plans to actively participate in discussions on major international human rights issues, including North Korean human rights, and in the international community's efforts to protect and promote human rights over the next three years as a member of the Human Rights Council," the Foreign Ministry said.

"We aim to lead discussions on key human rights agenda issues, including those we are championing, such as new technologies and human rights, and local governments and human rights. As a pivotal global state, we are committed to strengthening our contributions and role in realizing the universal values of the international community."

The UN Human Rights Council comprises 47 member states, each elected for a three-year term by a majority vote in the UN General Assembly. Members are selected based on the number of votes they receive, with the process designed to ensure balanced regional representation.

In Wednesday's election, six candidates from the Asia-Pacific Group -- South Korea, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Cyprus and the Marshall Islands -- competed for five of the 13 seats allocated to the region, as part of the Council's commitment to equitable geographical distribution.

South Korea secured its seat with the backing of 161 out of 190 voting member states together with Thailand, Cyprus, Qatar and the Marshall Islands.

"The election of our country to the Human Rights Council is a recognition by the international community of the country’s ongoing efforts to protect and promote human rights both domestically and internationally, under the policy that emphasizes universal values, including human rights," according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)