UNDP chief says agency 'wants to engage' with North Korea, but 'neither openness nor progress there'

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office has halted operations in North Korea since the Covid-19 pandemic. No plans are in place to resume immediately, but the institute “definitely would want to engage” if conditions change, according to the UNDP administrator.

“Sometimes things change unexpectedly, and if that were the case, we definitely would want to engage,” said UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on May 21 during his visit to South Korea to attend the Global AI Hub initiative's vision declaration ceremony. De Croo's visit to South Korea is the first since he was named the UNDP's administrator in December 2025.

“But for the moment, I would say unfortunately, neither that openness nor progress is there.”

The UNDP used to have an office in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, and carried out development aid projects in North Korea in areas such as agriculture and energy from 1981. However, all operations were suspended in 2007 following allegations that development funds for North Korea had been diverted by Pyongyang.  

The Pyongyang office reopened in 2010 after the UNDP Executive Board adopted a resolution approving the resumption of operations in North Korea. However, operations halted again in 2020 after North Korea closed its borders because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have no office anymore in North Korea,” said De Croo. “We used to have one, and we were asked to leave.”

“We don't have plans, nor possibilities to go back,” De Croo added. “If there were a change to the situation — and if we were wanted and accepted — we would go back. But that is not the case for the moment.”

Such “change” in the situation would mean a shift in Pyongyang's stance. De Croo also added that there are “a lot of questions before it can happen” regarding the reopening of the Pyongyang office, such as “need[ing] countries that are willing to finance [support programs].”

Approval from the UNDP Executive Board to reopen the office is another necessary step.

As for South Korea, De Croo described the country as an “incredible success story” that “came from one of the poorest places in the world” but developed into UNDP's “partner in bringing development to the rest of the world.”  

The recent Global AI Hub initiative is another area of cooperation between South Korea and UNDP. 

The UNDP Administrator attended a vision declaration ceremony of the initiative on May 21, which aims to use AI to address challenges such as disease control and climate change. South Korea and nine global organizations are part of the agreement, which also includes the UNDP.

“Now with this Global AI Hub, we also see a technological component [in our partnership], which is an important one for us,” said De Croo. “[South] Korea has been a stable partner, and with the creation of the Global AI Hub, I hope it is clear that [South] Korea will continue to be a stable partner.”

The following are edited excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity.

Q. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the UNDP opening an office in South Korea. How did that relationship come about?

A. The UNDP’s first country presence in the Republic of Korea was established in 1966 and has supported South Korea in a wide range of areas, including rural development, water resource management, industrial development and environmental protection. By 2009, UNDP had supported over 270 projects across 20 sectors. During that time, South Korea joined the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee and transformed itself into an aid donor country. It was the first country to transform from an ODA recipient to a donor country.

South Korea and the UNDP are now focusing on supporting crisis-affected countries. One example is the Revive flagship program that started in July 2025. The program supports the early recovery of people who have lost their livelihoods due to armed conflict or natural disasters.

How is the Revive program being carried out?

Revive represents the South Korean approach of operationalizing the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus. It focuses on supporting the early recovery and self-reliance of vulnerable groups, such as internally displaced persons. The program aims to cover around 3.54 million people living in Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In Ukraine, South Korea is helping remove bombing debris and process solid waste. It is also rebuilding community infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and administrative facilities. South Korea is also supporting the restoration of drinking water supply systems by providing assistance with pumping station equipment.

In Gaza, South Korea is creating safer temporary housing, including prefabricated homes equipped with solar-powered electricity and water systems, as well as wooden shelters. It is expected to take at least seven more years just to clear the debris in Gaza. 

Will the program be expanded?

We are hearing good news from Syria. The European Union has decided to fully resume its cooperation agreement with Syria and lift economic sanctions. This has opened the way for development cooperation investments aimed at reconstruction, and South Korea’s approach linking humanitarian assistance with development has helped drive change.

The first phase of the Revive program ends in June, and the second phase will begin in July. The scope of cooperation with Korea will continue to expand.

Financial support for UN agencies appears to be declining globally. How is the organization dealing with that?

The world is currently facing more crises, fragility and instability than at any time since the Second World War. At the same time, public funding for development has decreased to one-third over the past two years.  

The United States' total contributions to UNDP fell sharply from $184 million in 2024 to $67 million in 2025. The United States also has not allocated funding to regular resources, or core, for two consecutive years. Several other countries likewise reduced their contributions. Against this backdrop, we are also exploring ways to encourage the private sector to actively participate in development agendas. Amid continued financial constraints, UNDP must strengthen its own capabilities to produce meaningful results. We plan to carry out projects selectively and efficiently. 

Could the Global AI Hub become a solution to that?

It is important to integrate international organizations' AI capabilities and share infrastructure and expertise. It is even more meaningful that such a global AI cooperation platform is being established in Korea. For the UNDP, it could also provide substantial support for further developing international norms and advancing policy approaches for the safe and responsible development and use of AI. This could open a new chapter of cooperation between Korea and UNDP. We can also look forward to Korea and UNDP working together to help shape a better future for generations to come.

What direction should the international community move toward?

Development is not separate from the security agenda. It is the first line of defense against global instability because when institutions are weak, shocks do not stay local — they multiply. (...) So the real question is not whether we can afford development. It is whether we can afford the price of fragility. We need to focus our resources on building health care systems, education and resilient economies.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]