The United Nations has opened its 67th General Assembly at its headquarters in New York.

Representatives from 193 UN member countries including 85 heads of states will attend the General Assembly to discuss a range of global pending issues, such as violence in Syria and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

One of South Korea’s major goals for this year’s General Assembly is to secure a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013 to 2014 term. South Korea served on the council as a nonpermanent member from 1996 to 1997.

The South Korean delegation is led by Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.

Kim is considering using his keynote speech on September 28th to reject Japan’s territorial claim to South Korea’s Dokdo islets. He will also urge Japan to recognize and apologize for the forced sex slavery of Korean women by Japanese soldiers during World War Two.

The North Korean delegation is headed by Vice Foreign Minister Pak Gil-yon.