South Korea has officially questioned North Korea's qualification as a member of the United Nations during a U.N. meeting this week, citing Pyongyang's repeated violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

South Korea's U.N. ambassador, Oh Joon, raised the question during a meeting Monday of the U.N. Security Council, saying the North pledged to accept and to uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. as laid out in its charter when it joined the U.N. in 1991, together with South Korea.

"Twenty-five years ago, the DPRK solemnly pledged to comply with the obligations of the U.N. Charter as a new member, but during the past decade, the DPRK has persistently violated all Security Council resolutions on the DPRK," Oh said, according to video footage of the meeting. He used the initials for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"This is not only a direct challenge to the authority of the Security Council, but also a contradiction to both the letter and spirit of the pledge it made. This breach of obligation by the DPRK calls into question its qualification as a member of the United Nations," he said.

It was the first time the South has taken issue with the North's U.N. membership.

The ambassador also said that the North has conducted four nuclear tests, and six long-range missile tests over the past decade, all in violation of its international obligations, including four separate resolutions of the Security Council.

"By repeatedly violating Security Council resolutions, the DPRK has shown contempt and disregard for the functions and powers of the Security Council," Oh said.

He called for the Security Council to adopt a "robust and comprehensive resolution not to let the DPRK's leadership make a mockery of it by continuing to develop nuclear weapons." (Yonhap)