North Korea denounces U.N. Command in South Korea

Oct. 23 (UPI) -- North Korea condemned the presence of international troops in South Korea at the United Nations in New York, calling the U.N. Command a "ghost entity."

Voice of America reported Wednesday that North Korea demanded the dismantling of the U.N. Command, led by U.S. forces, during a Friday meeting of the Sixth Committee of the U.N. General Assembly.

Kim In Chol, a secretary of the North Korean mission to the U.N., said the U.N. Command is a "ghost entity that is only using the U.N. name, and has nothing to do with the U.N.," according to the report.

Kim also mentioned former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, claiming Annan "made it clear" the U.N. Command is under U.S. control and therefore is "not affiliated with the U.N. budget."

In 2018, Kim also attacked the U.N. Command, calling it a "monster-like" organization, according to South Korean news service News 1.

The North Korean diplomat had said the U.N. Command must be taken apart "as soon as possible."

The U.S.-led Command was created following the adoption of Resolution 1511 at the U.N. Security Council on June 27, 1950, two days after the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, and the passage of Resolution 1588 on July 7, 1950, according to News 1.

The formation of the Command made it possible for 21 U.N. member states to fight in Korea alongside U.S. and South Korean forces.

More recently, the United States has been seeking to hand over operational control, or OPCON, of the combined forces to South Korea.

A simultaneous U.S. call for renegotiating military cost-sharing with Seoul, which is ongoing, has been met with opposition from South Korean activists, a development that is being monitored in North Korea.

Pyongyang propaganda service Uriminzokkiri said Tuesday the U.S. demand for a five-fold increase in South Korea's cost sharing is "highway robbery."

North Korea also criticized U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris for a past statement regarding Seoul's share of costs.