Case 369 - A Tale of Two Vetoes: How North Korea Tests the UN System – and the Great Powers

This case study examines the implications of China and Russia’s decision in May 2022 to veto a draft UN Security Council resolution strengthening sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the DPRK’s intercontinental ballistic missile launches, which violated UNSC resolutions. It was the first time a draft resolution on North Korea had been vetoed in 64 years. The no votes marked a jarring end to almost two decades of P5 cooperation in trying to stem North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities. Two years later, in March 2024, Russia vetoed a Security Council text that would have extended the mission of the North Korea sanctions panel of experts (whose job was to monitor compliance, a key to enforcement). China abstained. The no vote was a sign of Moscow’s anger at what it viewed as the West’s excessive use of sanctions.

This case allows students to dig into the intense give and take of Security Council negotiations, question how great power rivalry affects the UN’s work, and review how the Council’s handling of North Korea influenced other files on its docket, such as Iran. It also gives students a chance to grapple with Security Council reform ideas and how middle powers and small states factor into the diplomacy.