Top officials from more than 120 countries took part in this year's UN General Assembly.
The annual session featured quite a few hotly anticipated firsts among other highlights.
For a brisk rundown of what to watch for in this year's event we turn to our Oh Jung-hee.
World leaders and delegates from over 120 countries have gathered in New York for the
UN General Assembly.
And the theme for this year is 'Focusing on people: striving for peace and a decent life
for all on a sustainable planet.'
(English) "The general assembly this year is taking
place when uncertainty's growing globally.
North Korean nuclear provocation should be probably one of the common concerns for all
countries, but of course they have other ongoing issues like terrorism, violent extremism,
climate change, refugee issues."
The UN General Assembly doesn't have the same strong binding power as the UN Security Council,
but it's where national leaders can share their concerns from each and every part of
the world.
For Northeast Asia and the United States, the main concern is the growing nuclear and
missile threat from North Korea.
Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test early this month,... and ballistic missile
launches over the past few months... which led to the UN Security Council placing further
sanctions on the regime through resolution 23-75.
(Korean) "Because the Security Council has already
adopted a resolution, I believe the discussions will focus on encouraging the member states
to fully implement it.
I don't think the General Assembly will adopt another resolution on the same level, but
it will call for unity of the international community."
Atrocities in Myanmar -- the killing and persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority -- is also
an issue that'll be touched upon,... while migration and refugee issues are at the top
of European leaders' concerns.
(English) "European countries have been faced with threats
of terrorism, and these issues also have a great deal to do with refugee issues.
I think European countries will raise these issues quite vocally at the UN General Assembly.
And several world leaders are making their debuts at the UN.
Along with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump and French President
Emmanuel Macron are attending the UN General Assembly for the first time.
With President Trump putting greater emphasis on bilateral relations, rather than multilateral
ones,... there's been much speculation on whether he'll maintain his "America First"
stance and decision to withdraw from international agreements such as Paris climate deal and
Iran nuclear deal.
(English) "He wants to advance the interests of the
U.S. narrowly defined and put that ahead of any kind of attempt to mediate United States'
interests alongside larger global problems.
So his speech, as we saw, was all about nationalism, and sovereignty as in the autonomy of each
individual country to decide its own priorities and its own interests for itself."
Meanwhile, President Macron is likely to present himself as the opposite of the U.S. President,,...
taking a more traditional approach to the UN -- going beyond individual countries' differences
and finding points of collaboration.
(English) "Emmanuel Macron, I think he's trying to cast
himself as an alternative to Trump, an European continental perspective and perhaps one that
could focus more on the institutional collaboration at the international level -- what we call
"multilateralism," which basically means individual countries working together under the umbrella
of international organizations."
For South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the UN General Assembly will be an opportunity
to introduce the new administration's approach toward Pyongyang... and call for the international
community's solidarity in tightening the sanctions on the regime.
The leaders' general debate continues through next Monday.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.