Seoul, June 17 (IANS): South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul will preside over a UN Security Council (UNSC) open debate on North Korea's growing cyber threats in New York later this week, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Due to take place on Thursday at the UN headquarters, the debate comes as South Korea, an elected UNSC member for 2024-25, is seeking to call international attention to North Korea's illegal cyber activities as a means to fund its weapons programmes banned under UN resolutions.

South Korea is presiding over the debate as it is the rotating UNSC President for this month, reports Yonhap news agency.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will speak at the session, along with other cyber experts.

"North Korea is raising funds for its illegal nuclear and missile programs through malicious cyber activities, such as stealing virtual assets and military technologies," a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

"We are thinking how we can deliver this into our speech at the debate," the official said.

The debate will be about raising the awareness of the UN member states about cyber threats and having discussions so that the UNSC can respond promptly and more appropriately to the new forms of security threats, the official added.

In principle, all UN member states can take part in the debate, including North Korea.