UN adopts resolution on Afghanistan's Taliban rule over US objections
The 11-page resolution also emphasizes 'the importance of creating opportunities for economic recovery, development and prosperity in Afghanistan,' and urges donors to address the country's dire humanitarian and economic crisis.
The resolution is not legally binding but is seen as a reflection of world opinion. The vote was 116 in favor, with two — the US and close ally Israel — opposed and 12 abstentions, including Russia, China, India and Iran.
Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures, banning women from public places and girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban's government.
Germany's UN Ambassador Antje Leendertse, whose country sponsored the resolution, told the assembly before the vote that her country and many others remain gravely concerned about the dire human rights situation in Afghanistan, especially the Taliban's 'near-total erasure' of the rights of women and girls.
The core message of the resolution, she said, is to tell Afghan mothers holding sick and underfed children or mourning victims of terrorist attacks, as well as the millions of Afghan women and girls locked up at home, that they have not been forgotten.
US minister-counselor Jonathan Shrier was critical of the resolution, which he said rewards 'the Taliban's failure with more engagement and more resources." He said the Trump administration doubts they will ever pursue policies "in accordance with the expectations of the international community.'
'For decades we shouldered the burden of supporting the Afghan people with time, money and, most important, American lives,' he said. 'It is the time for the Taliban to step up. The US will no longer enable their heinous behavior.'
Last month, the Trump administration banned Afghans hoping to resettle in the US permanently and those seeking to come temporarily, with exceptions.
The resolution expresses appreciation to governments hosting Afghan refugees, singling out the two countries that have taken the most: Iran and Pakistan. Shrier also objected to this, accusing Iran of executing Afghans 'at an alarming rate without due process' and forcibly conscripting Afghans into its militias.
While the resolution notes improvements in Afghanistan's overall security situation, it reiterates concern about attacks by al-Qaida and Islamic State militants and their affiliates. It calls upon Afghanistan "to take active measures to tackle, dismantle and eliminate all terrorist organizations equally and without discrimination.'
The General Assembly also encouraged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a coordinator to facilitate 'a more coherent, coordinated and structured approach' to its international engagements on Afghanistan.
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Korea Herald
32 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
[Wang Son-taek] July: A defining month for Korea-US alliance
The world is bracing for another tariff storm from US President Donald Trump. Delayed initially to take effect on July 9, the new tariff regime has now been postponed again until August 1, giving countries a few more weeks to negotiate. The delay was not a gesture of goodwill but a tactical maneuver. Trump's initial negotiation timeline was unrealistically short, virtually guaranteeing failure. Yet after the bruising experience of the first round, almost no country can claim to be caught off guard this time. Twenty days may be short by regular standards, but qualitatively, they offer a meaningful amount of time for strategic action. South Korea must now engage in full-scale diplomatic mobilization, just as other major economies are doing. Fortunately, the timing of South Korea's recent presidential transition provided a fresh opportunity to reframe the country's negotiating stance. National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac's recent visit to Washington for talks with Marco Rubio — now both national security advisor and secretary of state — was a critical move. It surely contributed to securing the extension of the negotiation window until the end of July. The centerpiece of this three-week diplomatic blitz will undoubtedly be a summit between President Lee Jae Myung and President Trump. The summit will likely follow intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations, and its success will hinge on the outcome of those working-level discussions. The fundamental determinant will be the performance of both countries' negotiation teams, tasked with hammering out an agreement by the end of the month. This round of negotiation is not just about tariffs. The outcome of the talks could fundamentally reshape the future of the South Korea-US alliance. A successful negotiation based on mutual sincerity and good faith could elevate the alliance to a higher level, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Conversely, failure could inflict substantial damage. To achieve a favorable outcome, South Korea should refer to core diplomatic principles. What should these guiding principles be? First, South Korea must remain calm and rational in the face of the coercive diplomacy of hegemonic power. In April, President Trump shocked the world by announcing exorbitant tariffs and then offering a 90-day grace period during which he launched simultaneous trade talks with dozens of countries. His approach is one of coercive bargaining — imposing 25 percent tariffs as a threat and offering reductions only if the other side makes concessions. This method, made possible by America's hegemonic status, is less a fair negotiation and more akin to a high-stakes con game. It may yield short-term results, but ultimately it undermines US soft power and damages its long-term strategic assets. In such a context, a middle power like South Korea must carefully assess what concessions to make while maximizing its national interest. If this were a soccer match, responding to Trump's pressure would be defense, while pushing for our strategic gains would be offense. If the US focuses solely on heavy-handed pressure, it has no choice but to leave some vulnerable space on its ground — opportunities South Korea must exploit. The South Korean delegation must consider how to capitalize on this tactical gap to reap tangible benefits, such as enhanced access to advanced technologies, expanded national networks in key industries and joint financial initiatives. Second, we must not treat this as a bilateral negotiation alone. Trump's tariff regime is not targeted solely at South Korea — it is a global strategy aimed at disrupting the existing trade order. Therefore, while formal talks with the US will proceed on a bilateral basis, South Korea should prioritize building strategic coalitions with like-minded countries, especially those similarly affected, such as Germany, the UK, France, Japan, Canada and Australia. Naturally, our diplomatic efforts must go beyond solidarity with the advanced economies and include developing nations that are also under pressure from Washington. By exploring the possibility of coordinated responses with other trade partners, South Korea can both increase its leverage and limit Washington's room for unilateral action. Third, we must minimize the political disruptions from within. South Korea's domestic politics are highly polarized, often turning foreign policy into a partisan battlefield. Regardless of the pros and cons of a government policy, the ruling party tends to support it unconditionally, while the opposition launches blanket attacks. In this case, the main opposition People Power Party has tried to color this newly launched administration as anti-American, accusing National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok of being too sympathetic to North Korea and labeling Prime Minister Kim Min-seok as anti-American. These attacks aim not at critiquing policy but at branding the entire administration as anti-American. Moreover, some media outlets, effectively acting as mouthpieces of the opposition party, have amplified this framing. Even though Trump's postponement of the tariff implementation — along with Korea's inclusion in the delayed schedule — was a positive sign, some newspapers twisted the narrative, claiming that Korea was the first to be struck by Trump's tariff club. It is not unusual for the media to shape public discourse through framing, but when such coverage strays far from the facts, it ceases to be framing and becomes sheer political sabotage. This must be called out clearly. Still, in a democracy, aggressive opposition and critical media are expected and common. Therefore, the government and the ruling party share responsibility for managing this political reality. The administration should maintain transparency with both ruling and opposition parties, ensuring regular briefings and sharing information on the status of negotiations. Likewise, efforts must be made to engage with the press, clearly explaining the difficult conditions under which these negotiations are taking place and how misleading reporting can mess up critical diplomatic efforts. President Trump's tariff threats pose a severe diplomatic burden. If South Korea remains composed and adheres to diplomatic principles, the situation could turn into an opportunity. This could become a classic "win-win" moment — mutually beneficial not just for South Korea, but also for the United States. That is the beauty of diplomacy. Wang Son-taek is an adjunct professor at Sogang University. He is a former diplomatic correspondent at YTN and a former research associate at Yeosijae. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed.
Korea Herald
32 minutes ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Golden hour
US to impose tariffs from Aug. 1; Summit desirable to finish a deal The United States will start imposing 25 percent tariffs on all South Korean products on Aug. 1, US President Donald Trump said in a letter addressed to President Lee Jae Myung on Monday. Trump sent tariff letters to 14 countries, first releasing the letters to South Korea and Japan on his Truth Social platform. He seems to have disclosed tariff letters to the two countries first because of their large trade surpluses with the US — $66 billion for South Korea and $69.4 billion for Japan. Trump announced "reciprocal" tariffs on April 2. The tariffs took effect on April 9, but he placed a 90-day pause on them that same day to allow time for negotiations. The pause was to expire Tuesday, but Trump signed an executive order Monday extending to Aug. 1 the deadline for negotiations. President Lee dispatched national security adviser Wi Sung-lac and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo to Washington for negotiations, but they failed to draw any agreements on tariffs before the first pause expired. But it is fortunate that the enforcement of the 25 percent tariff was put off to Aug. 1. Trump hinted at opportunities for additional negotiations. "These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country," he said in the letter. The Lee government's task now is to reduce tariffs as much as possible through intensive negotiations for about three weeks. However, Trump drew a line, saying in the letter, "We will charge Korea a Tariff of only 25% ... separate from all Sectoral Tariffs." This is ominous for South Korea, which hopes for tariff exemptions and low tariffs for its major export items. Trump said in the letter, "We ... have concluded that we must move away from these longterm, and very persistent, Trade Deficits engendered by Korea's Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers." With Trump having mentioned Korea's nontariff policies, responses to this issue have become urgent. The US has complained of Korea's ban on imports of US beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, its move to enact digital platform regulations that the US claims would discriminate against Big Tech firms and its negative stance on Google's request for permission to transfer high-precision map data of South Korea for use in its mapping services. Korea must elaborate on its logic of refutation, such as the need to protect domestic tech firms and concerns about national security — and it must present alternatives. Washington has turned up the trade pressure on Seoul. However, there have been few top-level contacts to deal with the trade issues, barring a singular phone conversation between Lee and Trump. Korea's top security adviser Wi met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, but they failed to nail down a US-Korea summit. Trump tends to handle matters in a direct, top-down style. It is desirable to have eleventh-hour negotiations in the form of a summit before reciprocal tariffs take effect. Cooperation in the shipbuilding industry and a defense spending increase could be good leverage to gain tariff reductions. A summit should be held before Aug. 1, but time is running out. Diplomacy from Lee is required more than ever. Separately from pushing for a summit with Trump, he could try phone talks with him. The remaining 22 days are a golden hour in negotiations. Trump highlighted on Tuesday that there will be no deadline extensions. "TARIFFS WILL START BEING PAID ON AUGUST 1, 2025. There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change," Trump wrote on Truth Social, a day after he sent the tariff letters to Korea, Japan and a dozen other trading partners. Considering the weight of exports in Korea's economy, the impact of tariffs will be severe. If Korea-US negotiations fall apart and South Korea is slapped with 25 percent levies as notified, it could flounder in a swamp of zero or minus growth. All-out diplomatic efforts are needed.
Korea Herald
9 hours ago
- Korea Herald
S. Korea proposes trade, security package deal in tariff talks with US
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Wednesday that South Korea has proposed a "package deal" encompassing economic and security considerations in bilateral tariff negotiations, while also suggesting an early summit between President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters following a four-day visit to Washington, Wi said he held "in-depth" discussions on trade negotiations and broader alliance issues in meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials. During his trip, Trump sent a letter to Lee that said the United States would start imposing 25 percent tariffs on all South Korean products imported on Aug. 1, which effectively extended the initial tariff deadline and allowed more time for negotiations. While Trump's letter primarily addressed tariff and non-tariff barriers, Wi said he proposed broadening the discussions to include trade, security and alliance-related issues in his meeting with Rubio. "We raised a range of issues spanning trade, investment, procurement and security, and suggested moving forward with negotiations by taking this comprehensive package into account," Wi said. To advance negotiations on these matters, Wi proposed that President Lee hold a summit with Trump in the near future. "I proposed holding a Korea-US summit at an early date to help facilitate mutually beneficial agreements on key pending issues, and Secretary Rubio expressed his support," he noted, adding that a specific date was not discussed. Addressing Trump's claim that South Korea contributes "very little" to US military support, Wi defended that South Korea is making substantial contributions to the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK), citing the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) signed between the allies. Last year, Seoul and Washington signed the 12th SMA for the 2026-2030 period, under which Korea is to pay 1.52 trillion won ($1.11 billion) next year, up from 1.4 trillion won this year. "We're paying around 1.5 trillion won, and on top of that, there are separate contributions under the cost-sharing arrangement," he said. "Beyond the SMA, we're gradually increasing our overall defense spending in line with international trends. Our contribution is substantial and there's potential for it to grow further." Following Trump's remarks, Seoul's foreign ministry said it will comply with the existing terms of the defense cost-sharing deal, saying the 12th SMA is "validly concluded and in effect." Aside from the USFK cost, the Pentagon said recently that South Korea and other Asian allies are subject to the new "global standard" of spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, a target similar to that set for North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.
