South Korea, which began its two-year term as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council(UNSC) on Monday, expressed concerns about escalating tensions in the Red Sea in the first Council meeting of the new year. 

In the UNSC session at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, South Korea’s Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook expressed concerns about “reckless and illegal” attacks on commercial ships by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

A container ship came under attack in the Red Sea recently by Houthi militants, who are based in Yemen and backed by Iran.

Ambassador Hwang said that the Red Sea is an important waterway for international commerce and trade, and any threat or interference with freedom of navigation recognized under international law cannot be tolerated or justified.

The envoy continued to state that the dangerous situation in the Gaza Strip is raising concerns about a possible spread of the conflict to other regions, calling for all-out efforts to ease tensions in the region, including the Red Sea. 

South Korea, along with Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, this week began its term as an elected non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2024-2025.