1. The Republic of Korea was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2013-2014 term at the UN headquarters in New York on October 19, Korea Standard Time. It marks the second time that the ROK won a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

2. 193 UN member states participated in the voting. The ROK won 149 out of the 192 legal votes, becoming a Security Council member from the Asia-Pacific States Group.

* Results from the first round of voting: 116 votes for the ROK; 62 for Cambodia; 20 for Bhutan
* Result from the second round of voting: 149 votes for the ROK; 43 for Cambodia

3. The ROK, as a member of the 15-nation Security Council, will take an active part in UN efforts to maintain world peace and security. Korea is also expected to contribute to the stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula during its second term on the Security Council.

4. The election of the ROK to the UN Security Council is seen to reflect the international community’s high expectations of Korea brought about by its enhanced international stature, its contribution to world peace and security through participation in UN peacekeeping operations, and the international community’s appreciation of its potential to make further contribution.

5. The ROK, which acceded to the UN in 1991, saw its UN diplomacy enhanced through its presidency of the General Assembly in 2001 and the election and re-election of Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General in 2006 and 2011 respectively. Its latest election to the Security Council is expected to serve as an opportunity to further boost Korea’s stature in UN diplomacy and as another achievement of the “Global Korea” policy pursued by the ROK government.

                        Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation