The 17 United Nations Command (UNC) member countries, which participated in the Korean War (1950 to 1953), met in Seoul on Nov. 14, reaffirming their commitment to South Korea’s security.
The meeting was held at South Korea’s invitation to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953.
The UNC member states issued a joint statement at the meeting, expressing their commitment to collectively respond if North Korea violates UN principles by posing threats to South Korea’s security or engaging in military attacks.
“During the meeting, the defense ministers and representatives discussed the continuing role of the UNC in fulfilling its mandates under United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the 1953 Armistice Agreement.”
The statement also condemned North Korea’s “unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” which the UNC member states said violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
“The UNC Member States declared that they will be united upon any renewal of hostilities or armed attack on the Korean Peninsula challenging the principles of the United Nations and the security of the Republic of Korea,” the statement read.
“In managing persistent security challenges, the defense ministers and representatives determined to continue increasing mutual exchange and cooperation between the ROK-U.S. Alliance and UNC Member States to inform our combined training and exercises.”
Established in July 1950, the UNC comprises countries that sent troops to support South Korea during the Korean War, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, as well as three countries that contributed medical support teams, including Norway, Denmark, and Italy. The UNC, based on UN Security Council Resolution 84, played a crucial role in repelling North Korean aggression.
New South Korean Administration
Under the administration of former president Moon Jae-in, there was a reluctance to cooperate with the UNC due to Mr. Moon’s focus on signing a declaration ending the Korean War with North Korea. President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the countary, has shown a willingness to strengthen cooperation with the UNC.
He added that the UNC, as a powerful source of defense for South Korea, continues to play a central role in maintaining freedom and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“Given the ongoing nuclear threats and provocations from North Korea, it is believed that the meeting could be a starting point for strengthening cooperation and unity among free nations and a milestone for future development,” read the message.
South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Won-sik also issued strong warnings to China and Russia, stating that if North Korea provokes, the international community will take strong countermeasures centered around the UNC.
“If the countries that helped North Korea during the Korean War come forward to help again, they will be penalized in the same way as North Korea,” he said. “This meeting serves as a strong warning to countries or groups attempting to change the international order based on rules by the use of force.”
“Countries attempting to change the status quo by force” is wording often used by the United States and other Western countries when criticizing China and Russia.
Communist Chinese forces fought alongside North Korea during the Korean War, while the Soviet Union provided significant military, economic, and diplomatic support.
Li Yuanhua, a China expert and former associate professor of history education at Capital Normal University, told The Epoch Times that Mr. Shin’s comments indicated South Korea’s resolve not to succumb to security threats from authoritarian regimes.
Mr. Li said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is North Korea’s main accomplice.
“[The CCP] is likely to provoke North Korea to develop a new battlefield, so as to disrupt or attract the free world’s hold on itself. It wants the world to be in chaos,” he said.
“The danger of the CCP is understood by South Koreans.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed on Nov. 14 that the UNC is a relic of the Cold War with no legal basis, accusing the involved countries of “appropriating the name of the United Nations” for personal gain.
“During the Korean War, the deployment of the UNC to the Korean Peninsula was carried out through a legitimate process based on the resolution established by the UN Security Council on July 7, 1950,” reads the Korean report.
KBS said the UNC troops were sent with an indisputable historical and institutional basis.
“Most importantly, the blood of more than 40,000 U.N. soldiers who died in the Korean War gave the U.N. Command a weight that transcends legal discussion.”
