Reports from Tuesday revealed that North Korea failed to pay its United Nations (UN) contributions last year. While North Korea has a history of late payments, failing to contribute by year’s end is unprecedented.
NK News, a media outlet specializing in North Korean affairs, reported that North Korea was absent from the list of countries that had made payments as of December 31 last year, according to the UN Secretariat’s contributions status webpage.
The annual deadline for UN member states to pay their contributions is February 8. North Korea not only missed this deadline by over 10 months last year but has also failed to make this year’s payment, now overdue by more than four months.
Although North Korea has frequently been tardy with payments, failing to contribute by December 31 of last year is considered highly unusual.
North Korea’s contribution rate to the UN regular budget stands at 0.005%. The UN calculates these rates based on economic indicators such as national income and external debt. North Korea’s annual contribution is estimated to be approximately 150,000 USD.
Interestingly, the U.S., the largest contributor to the UN, was also absent from the list of countries that have made payments, as released by the UN Secretariat last year and this year. However, this is not uncommon as the U.S. operates on a fiscal year beginning in October, often resulting in its absence from the UN’s list of contributors. The U.S. remains the largest contributor, responsible for about 22% of the UN’s regular budget, amounting to roughly 700 million USD annually.
In light of these developments, the UN has recently reiterated its call for member countries to ensure timely and full payment of their contributions, citing ongoing challenges with cash flow.