The Embassy of North Korea in Geneva

North Korea and South Korea both applied for UN membership in 1949, but their applications were not acted upon due to Soviet opposition to South Korea's admission, and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 further delayed any resolution of the question. The DPRK was granted a form of observer standing at the UN only in the early-to-mid 1970s, alongside its admission to the World Health Organization, but for decades it opposed the idea of separate ("two Koreas") membership, arguing this would entrench the peninsula's division. As the Cold War ended, South Korea announced in 1991 that it would seek its own UN seat; with no prospect of a Chinese or Soviet veto against South Korea's bid, the DPRK reversed its longstanding position and applied as well, stating it had "no alternative" but to join to ensure its interests were represented at the UN. On 8 August 1991, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 702 recommending both countries for membership, and on 17 September 1991 the General Assembly formally admitted both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea as full UN member states under resolution 46/1 — 46 years after the UN's founding. The DPRK maintains a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, an additional mission to the UN in Paris, and an Ambassador to the UN Office at Geneva; it has never held a seat on the UN Security Council.