Sejong Policy Series

UN Security Council Reform: Current debates and Prospects

Date 2021-10-18 View 1,088 Writer CHUNG Eunsook

The United Nations marks its 76th anniversary this year (2021). At the 75th anniversary meeting (the first virtual meeting in UN history), leaders of the member states reaffirmed their shared belief in UN multilateralism, of which the UN has the highest legitimacy and normative influence in world peace and security.

This study reviews, evaluates, and predicts current debates about and prospects for the UN Security Council reform, one of the most important and the most difficult reforms pursued by the UN in the 21st century. This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Korea's membership in the UN (September 17, 1991). Since joining the UN and since its second term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council (1996-97; 2013-14), South Korea's role has grown both qualitatively and quantitatively. However, UN research in South Korean academia has not been as active as expected. In fact, there is a lack of research that provides a comprehensive review of Security Council reform, which guarantees international peace and security.

Accordingly, this study looks at the debates around the Security Council reform at the UN Headquarters in New York from a global governance perspective, identifies the key components of solidarity among permanent members of the Security Council and key members involved in Security Council reform diplomacy, and presents suggestions. This study mainly used literature analysis, using the official documents and speeches of the UN and related countries and official and informal press materials as basic materials.