While the United Nations celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2015, Koreans will lament 70 years of national division. Considering all of the challenges and opportunities that the divided peninsula faces — and will continue to confront in the coming years — unification remains an important goal that we must continue to pursue.
Founded formally in 1948 under U.N. auspices, the then-fledgling Republic of Korea (South Korea) immediately became engulfed in Cold War power politics, which hampered its efforts to join the U.N. — a goal not achieved until 1991. Since then, however, South Korea has more than made up for its late arrival. It is playing an active role in the U.N. — the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Human Rights Council — and it is participating in numerous initiatives related to peacekeeping, development cooperation, climate change, nonproliferation and human rights.
During this time, the international community has also dramatically changed. Globalization and technological transformation have deepened interdependence, and yet insecurity, inequality, injustice and intolerance remain undiminished worldwide.