# United Nations Security Council Resolution 702

**United Nations Security Council Resolution 702** is a resolution adopted unanimously by the Security Council at its 3001st meeting on 8 August 1991, recommending to the General Assembly that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea each be admitted to membership in the United Nations.<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup> Both states were admitted on 17 September 1991 under General Assembly resolution 46/1.<sup>[2](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject | Admission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea to membership in the United Nations<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup> |
| Adoption | Unanimously at the 3001st meeting of the Security Council, 8 August 1991<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup> |
| Symbol | S/RES/702(1991); document S/22895; meeting record S/PV.3001<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup> |
| Procedural basis | Charter Article 4: admission is decided by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council<sup>[3](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/working-methods-un-charter)</sup> |
| Committee step | Preceded by the report of the Security Council's Committee on the Admission of New Members on the two applications (S/22895, dated 7 August 1991)<sup>[4](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125647?ln=en)</sup> |
| Outcome | General Assembly resolution 46/1 of 17 September 1991 admitted both Korean states<sup>[2](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)</sup> |
| UN roster effect | UN membership reached 166 states by the end of 1991<sup>[2](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)</sup> |

## Content and procedure

The resolution carries one operative recommendation for each applicant: it recommends to the General Assembly that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea be admitted to membership, and recommends in a parallel paragraph that the Republic of Korea be admitted.<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup> Under Article 4 of the UN Charter, membership is open to peace-loving states that accept the obligations of the Charter and are able and willing to carry them out, and admission of any such state is effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.<sup>[3](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/working-methods-un-charter)</sup>

Before the Council acted, its Committee on the Admission of New Members examined the two applications and reported on them in document S/22895, dated 7 August 1991; the resolution itself carries the same document number.<sup>[4](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125647?ln=en)</sup> The vote summary records adoption without dissent at the 3001st meeting, under meeting record S/PV.3001.<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup>

## Context in 1991 admissions

Resolution 702 belongs to a run of admission resolutions adopted by the Council in 1991. Later in the same year it adopted resolution 703 recommending the [Federated States of Micronesia](https://www.edgepedia.org/federated-states-of-micronesia), resolution 704 recommending the [Marshall Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/marshall-islands), and resolution 709 recommending Estonia and resolution 710 recommending Latvia, all without a vote.<sup>[5](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/resolutions-0)</sup> The two Korean states joined on 17 September 1991, the same day as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands, and [Micronesia](https://www.edgepedia.org/micronesia), under Assembly resolutions 46/1 through 46/6.<sup>[2](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)</sup> By the end of 1991 the United Nations had 166 members.<sup>[2](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)</sup>

The simultaneous recommendation for both Korean states was itself the notable feature of the resolution: the two governments had applied separately, but the Council processed their applications in a single text and a single vote.<sup>[1](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)</sup>

## References

1. [Resolution 702 (1991), adopted by the Security Council at its 3001st meeting, 8 August 1991, UN Digital Library](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125255?ln=fr)
2. [United Nations Juridical Yearbook 1991](https://legal.un.org/unjuridicalyearbook/pdfs/english/volumes/1991.pdf)
3. [Charter of the United Nations, Security Council working methods page](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/working-methods-un-charter)
4. [Report of the Committee on the Admission of New Members concerning the applications of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and of the Republic of Korea, UN Digital Library](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/125647?ln=en)
5. [Resolutions, United Nations Security Council](https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/content/resolutions-0)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › International law › United Nations instruments › Security Council resolutions › Resolution index lists by number range › Resolutions 701–800 (1991–1993)*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license