People Power Party Rep. Kim Gunn (The Korea Herald)

Rep. Kim Gunn of the ruling People Power Party on Tuesday introduced a bill that would require the government to take steps to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The bill establishes a legal framework for ensuring that the UN Security Council resolutions can take effect here, so that South Korea can fulfill its obligations as a member, the first-time lawmaker said.

Explaining the rationale behind the bill, he pointed to the Supreme Court ruling from two years ago which said that it was illegal to ban overseas carriers from entering South Korean ports for violating sanctions on North Korea.

The Supreme Court said that there were no grounds for enforcing UN Security Council resolutions here under the current laws.

“As a UN member, South Korea is obligated to faithfully implement the Security Council resolutions, but the lack of a domestic legal basis is holding the country back from doing so, case in point being the 2022 ruling by the Supreme Court,” Kim said.

“This bill represents our commitment to fulfill our responsibilities as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.”

He added that if passed, the bill could serve as a way of more effectively blocking North Korea from violating sanctions and thereby urge the country to return to dialogue toward denuclearization.