Annex 5: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009)

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Historical and Geopolitical Background: a brief history of the Korean peninsula Background On the 24 th August 1910, Korea was fully annexed by the Japanese Empire. The colonisation would take 35 years. The occupation of Korea by Japan was efficient, though harsh and repressive. The Korean population was almost totally excluded of government and administration. The Korean peninsula served Japan economically, both in agriculture and in industry. From 1919 onwards, an independence movement started to take root in Korea. The Japanese occupation has left Koreans of the elder generation with a general distrust of the intentions of Japan, even today. It would take until 1945 before Korea would be free again. However, soon after the liberation, it was already clear that an autonomous and independent Korean peninsula would become very difficult to achieve (Verheyen, 2006). In the Potsdam Agreement of 1945, it was decided that the north of the country came under the control of the Soviet Union, whereas the South came under the influence of the United States of America. Henceforth, the global geopolitical East-West divide made both Koreas a front-line, in geopolitical and geostrategical terms. The 38 th parallel (degree of latitude) was established as the artificial border between the two occupation zones. Two thirds of Koreans lived in the south, whereas the industry was mostly located in the north. Both the US and the USSR tried to implement their own societal model in their respective part of ‘Korea’. Therefore, after the division into two separate countries, this boundary became both a physical and ideological border (Vanden Berghe, 2008: 162). The US wanted to leave Korea without loosing face. In 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations was asked to come up with a solution. Because a Special Commission was not granted access to the north, elections were only held in the south. Syngman Rhee, who had stayed in the US during the 35 years of the Japanese occupation, was accepted as president by the United Nations, and his government was considered “the only true government of the whole of the Korean peninsula” (August 1948). In September 1948, the communists in North Korea responded by forming a government under Kim Il-sung, who had fought together with other nationalists and China’s communists under Mao against the Japanese. Later, Kim Il-sung had also been an officer in the Russian Army, and he had fought together with the Soviets against the Japanese in Manchuria. After establishing their respective governments, the Soviets retreated in December 1948, the Americans did also in June 1949 (Vanden Berghe, 2008: 163). © 2009 – Dr. D. Criekemans – Negotiations in UNSC on the continuing security provocations by North Korea 8
On Sunday June 25 th, 1950, Kim Il-sung launches a massive invasion of South Korea. Almost all analysts in the US thought it had been Stalin who had told Kim Il-sung to conquer South Korea. Today we know that it was the other way around; Kim Il-sung had asked Stalin. Initially Stalin was against, but forces Kim Il-sung to ask for Chinese approval from Mao. In January 1950, the Soviet Union conducted an ‘empty chair-policy’ to protest against the fact that Communist China was not admitted to the United Nations. For the Americans, this proved to be a unique occasion to pass a resolution in the UN Security Council, voted on 27 June 1950, which stated that North Korea should withdraw, and that all members of the United Nations should try to offer assistance to South Korea against the invasion. On July 4 th, 1950, the UN Security Council installed an Expeditionary Force to fight against the DPRK. The bulk of the force consisted of American troops, but also military forces from sixteen more countries were part of it (the UK, France, the Benelux-countries, etc.). In August 1950, the Soviet Ambassador returned to the UN in New York, but the decisions had already been made. In September 1950, the DPRK had almost completely conquered the south, but on 15 September 1950 the American General MacArthur landed hundreds of miles behind enemy lines and freed the South Korean capital of Seoul. On October 7 th, 1950, the UK proposed a text to the General Assembly that later would become known as the “Uniting For Peace- Resolution” or United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 377 A. It states that in cases where the United Nations Security Council fails to act in order to maintain international peace and security, owing to disagreement between its five permanent members, the matter shall be addressed immediately by the General Assembly. 3 MacArthur was given clearance to cross the 38 th parallel and “free the whole of the Korean peninsula”. On October 1950, Mao started a counter-offensive, and conquered Seoul again in December 1950. MacArthur then responded, and re-conquered Seoul in March 1951. The fierce fighting would drag on until July 26 th, 1953 (Vanden Berghe, 2008: 164-169). When the cease fire is signed, North Korea has gained nothing. The border at the 38 th parallel is restored, the economy lies in ruins, and many people had died (1.4 million North Koreans and Chinese, 400.000 South Koreans, 37.000 Americans, the Soviet Union suffered almost no casualties). Because Stalin had not helped the DPRK, Kim Il-sung distrusted the Russians, and felt deeply betrayed. After the war, Kim Il-sung therefore switched away from orthodox Marxistcommunism to his own self-scripted doctrine of "Juche", which essentially calls for selfsufficiency in all aspects of life. His policies saw North Korea become even more isolated from and hostile to Western powers. International trade declined and Kim began to perpetuate a personality cult, styling himself as the "Great Leader". The regime began to strictly control every aspect of daily life. Although vast military expenditure continued to drain the economy, North Korea enjoyed a period of relative prosperity through the 1960s and 70s. In the 1980s however, the country began to falter. While other communist countries attempted economic reform, North Korea stuck rigidly to the ideological purity of its state-run system. The collapse of communism in Europe and Russia saw North Korea lose many of the few trading partners it had. By the mid 1990s, a series of droughts and floods coupled with continued economic mismanagement triggered severe food shortages. Thousands of refugees flooded across the border into China. 3 The Uniting for Peace resolution—also known as the "Acheson Plan"—was adopted 3 November 1950 by a vote of 52 to 5 (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the USSR, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic), with 2 abstentions (India and Argentina): "Reaffirming the importance of the exercise by the Security Council of its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and the duty of the permanent members to seek unanimity and to exercise restraint in the use of the veto," [...] "Recognizing in particular that such failure does not deprive the General Assembly of its rights or relieve it of its responsibilities under the Charter in regard to the maintenance of international peace and security," [...] "Resolves that if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations to Members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security." © 2009 – Dr. D. Criekemans – Negotiations in UNSC on the continuing security provocations by North Korea 9
Page 1 and 2: Vereniging voor de Verenigde Naties
Page 3 and 4: eprocessing. The administration of
Page 5 and 6: of the Korean Peninsula, which proh
Page 7: With UNSC 1874 (2009), all Council
Page 11 and 12: - Scenario 2: MESSY TRANSITION The
Page 13 and 14: Military North Korea is one of the
Page 15 and 16: - A plutonium reprocessing plant ab
Page 17 and 18: The following maps offer a detailed
Page 19 and 20: Understanding the DPRK’s intentio
Page 21 and 22: Understanding the positions of the
Page 23 and 24: The United States of America: press
Page 25 and 26: including (relatively modest) econo
Page 27 and 28: Beware of the Dynamics in the Decis
Page 29 and 30: - The DPRK has threatened to again
Page 31 and 32: It is very probable that the UNSC w
Page 33 and 34: Useful links: - - IAEA-website: In
Page 35 and 36: -- The U.S. and DPRK will cooperate
Page 37 and 38: ANNEX 3: Beijing Agreement of Febru
Page 39 and 40: Annex 4: Six Parties October 3, 200
Page 41 and 42: humanitarian and developmental purp
Page 43 and 44: “8. Decides that the DPRK shall a
Page 45 and 46: documents of 13 February 2007 and 3
Page 47 and 48: ABDURRAHMAN MOHAMED SHALGHAM (Libya

Annex 5: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009)

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?