People's Republic of Korea

On behalf of the delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, please allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. I should also like to congratulate your predecessor, Mr. Jean Ping, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Gabonese Republic, on his commendable work as President at the previous session. I look forward to the successful outcome of this session. My appreciation also goes to Secretary- General Kofi Annan for his tireless efforts aimed at reforming the Organization to bring about multilateralism centred on the United Nations in conformity with the demands of the current changed situation. Five years ago, when the Millennium Summit adopted its Declaration of peace, poverty eradication and respect for human rights, humankind sincerely hoped that, with the dawn of a new century, peace and prosperity would take hold around the world. However, despite the adoption of that Declaration and the aspirations of humankind, the world is today being drawn further into a vortex of instability and fear due to unilateralism and the highhandedness of the super- Power. On one side of the world, voices yearning for peace, poverty eradication and sustainable development continue to grow; while on the other side provocative acts such as armed invasion and the threat 27 of pre-emptive nuclear attack are being committed openly against sovereign States. In North-East Asia alone, with the Korean peninsula at its centre, adventurous military attempts continue unabated, aggravating tension in the region, as does the strengthening of strategic military alliances, the large-scale introduction of highly sophisticated weapons and operational equipment, the establishment of missile defence systems and Ulchi Focus Lens-05 military exercises for pre-emptive strikes. The current situation is becoming increasingly acute due to arbitrariness on the part of unilateralist forces. That urgently requires that Member States undertake a joint effort to bring about multilateralism centred on the United Nations on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and mutual benefit. As is well known, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula are directly linked to peace and security in the North-East Asian region and the rest of the world. As we have seen in recent years, the situation on the Korean peninsula is once again part of a vicious circle of tension and dÈtente that is preventing the establishment of durable peace and stability. The primary cause for that lies in the national division forced upon us by foreign forces and the extremely hostile policy of the super-Power towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's policy of Songun Jongchi - which is to say, to give priority to military affairs - is aimed primarily at coping with the attempts of the United States to suffocate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which constitute a real threat. The Songun policy administered by the respected General Kim Jong Il is the basic safeguard for our sovereignty from the constant threat of the United States and for preventing another war on the Korean peninsula, thereby ensuring peace and security in North-East Asia. This year, the north and the south of Korea together significantly commemorated the fifth anniversary of the announcement of the 15 June North- South Joint Declaration, as well as the sixtieth anniversary of Korea's liberation, thereby setting a new stage for the attainment of overall national unity and the realization of the cause of national reunification independently and peacefully under the theme ìOur nation itselfî. The Government of our Republic will also make every possible effort in the future to bring about independent national reunification as soon as possible, achieve lasting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and bring about the nation's common prosperity by thoroughly implementing the 15 June North-South Joint Declaration. With a view to facilitating better understanding on the part of Member States and making positive contributions to the work of the current session, I would like to refer to the principled position and sincere efforts of our Republic regarding a fair solution of the nuclear issue between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States. The Government of our Republic has consistently adhered to its position of addressing the nuclear issue peacefully, through dialogue and negotiations. As everyone knows, the nuclear issue is a direct product of the hostile policy of the United States against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea during more than half a century. Given that, driven by extreme hostility towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States has gone as far as designating our country as part of an ìaxis of evilî and making it a potential target for pre-emptive nuclear strikes, thereby militarily threatening our security, our country has been compelled to possess a self-defensive nuclear deterrent as a means of safeguarding our national dignity and sovereignty. In circumstances in which the United States, the sole world super-Power, is looking down on us and threatening to use nuclear weapons, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - a country with a small territory and population - has no alternative but to possess a strong and legitimate means of self-defence. As we have clarified time and again, the ultimate goal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with regard to the nuclear issue is the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula was called for by President Kim Il Sung, the fatherly leader of our people. The 1992 North-South Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the 1994 Agreed Framework between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States are manifestations of the invariable political will of the Government of the Republic to denuclearize the Korean peninsula by all means. 28 During the recent fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing, we approached discussions seriously and with magnanimity and a principled, fair and above- board position to achieve our consistent final goal of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula at any cost, thereby enabling the talks to come up with an agreement on the principles to that end as part of a broad framework to overcome all challenges. The joint statement issued at that meeting reflects our principled position on the resolution of the nuclear issue. At the same time, it also clearly specifies the obligations of the United States and South Korea as the parties responsible for the denuclearization of the entire Korean peninsula. As we have clarified more than once, there will be no need for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to keep a single nuclear weapon if relations are normalized between our country and the United States, bilateral confidence is built and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is not exposed to the United States nuclear threat any longer. What is most essential at this stage is for the United States to provide light-water reactors to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as soon as possible as evidence of the former's substantial recognition of the latter's right to peaceful nuclear activities. We shall watch closely how the United States acts in reality during the ìaction for actionî phase. Our country's Government will continue to be patient and to do its best to bring about the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. If the United Nations is to fulfil its mission to ensure international peace and security and economic and social development, it should be reformed in conformity with the demands of the new century. That is the unanimous view of the international community. In that regard, it is important that we take a multilateral approach centred on the United Nations and in line with the purposes and principles of the Charter. To that end, efforts should be made to, inter alia, prevent unilateralism and high-handedness leading to violations of the Charter and of international law, and to ensure that the functions and role of the United Nations in addressing major international issues remain pivotal. Disputes should be resolved peacefully, through dialogue and negotiation. The unilateral use of force can never be justified in any case. Such actions as authorizing specific countries to launch pre-emptive attacks on the pretext of preventing conflicts should not be viewed as strengthening the collective security system of the United Nations and should therefore be rejected, as they are dangerous attempts to ignore both the principles of non-interference in others' internal affairs, as well as respect for sovereignty, as stipulated in the Charter. Secondly, all important international issues should be addressed fairly and reasonably, in the interests of the overwhelming majority of Member States. We should not allow them to be dominated or dealt with by the super-Power or by a few powerful countries. In this context, we have been consistent in our insistence on the establishment of a system that mandates the General Assembly to review and endorse Security Council resolutions relating to sanctions and the use of force that can affect international peace and security. The Security Council should be reformed on the basis of the principle of ensuring the full representation of the non-aligned and developing countries, which make up the overwhelming majority of Member States. We should never tolerate the permanent membership of Japan, which refuses to liquidate its past crimes against other countries, distorting its history of aggression and driving the regional situation towards confrontation. The reform of the United Nations human rights machinery should take place in accordance with the demands of the majority of countries. In reforming the human rights machinery, the Organization should consider its most pressing task and ultimate goal to be putting an end to infringement on national sovereignty, the politicization of human rights and the application of double standards and selectivity, which are the most serious human rights violations at present. Like the reform of the Security Council, that reform effort should be carried out on the basis of the principle of ensuring the full representation of the non-aligned and developing countries that make up the overwhelming majority of the United Nations membership. If that principle is ignored, the reform of the human rights machinery will remain just empty talk. Worse still, if the establishment of the Human Rights Council is aimed at legitimizing the high-handedness of a few countries on the pretext of human rights protection, the discussion itself will be completely meaningless. 29 The Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will continue to make an active contribution to the efforts of Member States to build a new, peaceful and prosperous world by further strengthening its friendly and cooperative relations with all countries that respect our national sovereignty in accordance with the ideal of independence, peace and friendship.