May I first
congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of
the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session. I am
confident that the current session will be a fruitful one
under your able leadership.
The Republic of Korea is pleased that the United
Nations, in partnership with its Member States
and under the stewardship of Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon, is strengthening multilateralism by
successfully responding to the diverse challenges that
the international community faces. We are confident
that the Secretary-General’s Five-Year Action Plan
will help the United Nations to keep making important
contributions in this period of transformation.
Twenty-two years ago I was present in the Assembly
to watch with great emotion the historic moment when
the Republic of Korea was admitted as a State Member
of the United Nations. The moment came at the end
of a long wait during the Cold War. At that time the
Republic of Korea solemnly pledged to actively take
part in the shaping of a new global order that is free, fair
and prosperous and where justice and the rule of law
prevail. To live up to this pledge, the Republic of Korea,
though a latecomer, has fully embraced the callings of
the United Nations with passion and devotion. In many
corners of the world, Korea has actively taken part in
peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts. Currently,
Korea is serving as a member of the Security Council
and the Human Rights Council, among others.
Since its inception, the United Nations has taken
on the noble endeavour of helping the peoples of the
United Nations to live in larger freedom. However,
insecurity and inequality, injustice and intolerance still
prevail in many parts of the world, where our common
efforts are desperately needed. Furthermore, the rise
of new global challenges, such as climate change,
terrorism and cybercrime, calls for global cooperation
that transcends the existing inter-State system. In other
words, the importance and the relevance of the United
Nations is ever increasing, as it is a key vehicle for
global cooperation.
The new Administration of the Republic of Korea
has put forward its foreign-policy vision, which is
built on two fundamental objectives: “happiness of the
people” and “happiness of the global community”. Such
a vision resonates with the core values of the United
Nations — peace, human rights and development.
Korea seeks to make meaningful contributions to
maintain global peace beyond the Korean peninsula.
We want to share the fruits of our economic success,
which was achieved with the help of the international
community, and strive to enhance the dignity and
happiness of all global citizens. I believe that that is
in line with the purposes and principles of the United
Nations as well.
The first pillar in attaining global happiness is
security. In particular, the Republic of Korea is of
the view that the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery is one of the
most serious threats to international peace and security.
In that connection, the use of chemical weapons
in Syria, as confirmed by the report of the United
Nations investigators (A/67/997), has caused the worst
humanitarian disaster in the twenty-first century. The
Government of the Republic of Korea condemns the use
of chemical weapons in the strongest possible terms, as
it constitutes a crime against humanity that cannot be
tolerated under any circumstances.
In that regard, we welcome the recent agreement
between the United States and Russia on the Framework
for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons,
and expect a decision by the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. and a reinforcing
resolution by the Security Council, sometime today. We
urge the Syrian Government to faithfully implement its
commitments to the international community. We also
strongly call upon all countries that have not acceded
to the Chemical Weapons Convention, including the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to do so as
soon as possible.
In that context, I must draw attention to the
seriousness of the Democratic People’s Republic’s
ongoing weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
programmes. Despite a series of Security Council
resolutions, the Democratic People’s Republic launched
long-range missiles and conducted nuclear tests as
recently as in early 2013, in blatant violation of its
international obligations. It should strictly implement
its obligations under the relevant Security Council
resolutions, including resolution 2094 (2013). As is the
case with Syria, the international community should
make united efforts to roll back the Democratic People’s
Republic’s nuclear-weapons programmes to prevent
the advent of another nuclear-armed State. However,
if it decides to give up its so-called parallel pursuit
of economic development and nuclear armament and
in turn embarks on a path of genuine change through
concrete actions, the Republic of Korea stands ready to
help the Democratic People’s Republic.
Alongside the proliferation of WMD, terrorism
presents a grave threat to international peace and
security in the twenty-first century. The Republic of
Korea strongly condemns the terrorist attack that took
place last weekend in Nairobi, Kenya. Our sincere
condolences go out to the victims and their families of
the tragedy. The Government of the Republic of Korea
denounces all forms of terrorism and will continue to
take part in the global efforts to combat terrorism.
Together with its efforts to respond to the imminent
security threats, including the proliferation of WMD,
the new Administration of the Republic of Korea is
pursuing a policy that it calls “trustpolitik”, to establish
a regional order of reconciliation and cooperation
in the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Our
trustpolitik, in turn, is implemented through the Korean
Peninsula Trust-Building Process and the Northeast
Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.
The Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process
aspires to safeguard peace based on strong deterrence,
while simultaneously building peace through dialogue
and cooperation. Through that process, the new
Administration of the Republic of Korea was able to
ensure the resumption of operations in the Kaesong
industrial park, the only remaining inter-Korean
economic cooperation project.
Furthermore, the Republic of Korea proposes to
create a world peace park in the world’s most heavily
armed demilitarized zone, in order to transform a
lasting legacy of the Cold War and a divided Korea into
a new space of peace and harmony. It is my hope that the
United Nations and the two Koreas will work together
to bring this proposal to fruition, thereby contributing
greatly to the building of trust in the Korean peninsula.
Turning to the broader region of North-East Asia,
Korea is expecting further political and security
cooperation that corresponds to the level of economic
interdependence in the region. To that end, the
Republic of Korea proposed the Northeast Asia Peace
and Cooperation Initiative, which will open dialogue
on soft issues of common interests to the players in
the region. The Republic of Korea is also interested in
learning from the valuable experiences in successful
regional institutions, such as the European Union, the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
and the Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.
The second pillar of an era of global happiness
is the promotion of human rights and human dignity
as universal values. In the past century, the Republic
of Korea went through a colonial occupation and a
tragic internecine war. From that experience, Koreans
became more appreciative than others of the paramount
importance of human rights and humanitarianism.
Worldwide, there is an alarming increase in the
number of refugees and internally displaced persons
owing to wars and intra-State conflicts. Concerning
the massive refugee problem caused by the Syrian
civil war, my Government is actively involved in
international efforts to assist the refugees. Korea is
also planning to co-host a working group meeting
on Syrian reconstruction in Seoul next month. The
Republic of Korea also wishes to emphasize the need to
uphold the internationally established legal principle of
non-refoulement.
Today, there are over 10 million people in Korea
suffering from the agony of not being able to see their
loved ones across the inter-Korean border, even 60 years
after the end of the Korean War. Based on the recent
agreement between the two Koreas, a reunion for those
separated families was to be held this week. However,
to our utmost regret, the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea unilaterally cancelled that reunion, which
would have been a humanitarian event, citing political
reasons. Such an inhumane decision cannot be justified
for any sound reason. Thus far, the new Administration
of the Republic of Korea has maintained the insulation
of humanitarian issues from political considerations.
I therefore urge the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea to convene the family reunion as soon as possible
so as to ease the pain and suffering of the Korean people
as a whole.
The Republic of Korea wishes to draw the attention
of the Assembly to the increasing need to protect
civilians, including women and children, from armed
conflicts around the globe. With that in mind, during
its presidency of the Security Council in February,
the Republic of Korea chaired an open debate on the
protection of civilians in armed conflict (see S/PV.6917).
We are also one of the champions of the newly launched
protection from sexual violence initiative. In fact,
sexual violence during conflicts is one of the most
serious types of human rights violation. It is a war
crime that not only destroys the life of the victim, but
also that of the victim’s family and the community.
In particular, for the victims of sexual violence
during conflicts of the past century, the pain and
the agony continue to this day. What matters most is
genuine remorse and concrete actions. As repeatedly
emphasized in reports of United Nations special
rapporteurs on sexual violence, responsible measures
are called for that can restore the honour of the victims
and soothe their pain, as such crimes involve a universal
human rights issue.
Underdevelopment and extreme poverty are the
core challenges facing the United Nations today. Since
the Millennium Summit was held in 2000, the collective
efforts by the international community to reach the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have yielded
some very tangible results. However, progress has not
been equally enjoyed across all regions, countries and
groups of people. It is against that backdrop that we
attach great importance to discussions on the future
direction of and road map for development cooperation,
under the theme of “The post-2015 development agenda:
setting the stage”, at the present session of the General
Assembly.
The next set of common global development goals
should be genuinely people-centred and take into
account a standard of well-being that goes beyond the
traditional income levels. The new goals should place
the greatest priority on guaranteeing the dignity of all.
Furthermore, they should seek to build partnerships
with the newly emerging development actors, so as to
effectively utilize available capacities and resources.
The Republic of Korea hopes that the Busan Global
Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation,
launched in 2012, will also play a significant role in
setting up a new cooperative mechanism to lead the
implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.
Such development goals also coincide with Korea’s
foreign policy objective of building an era of global
happiness. The Republic of Korea hopes to work
together to complete the unfinished business of the
MDGs by pursuing a recipient-oriented development
cooperation policy. More specifically, we will continue
to increase our official development assistance and
share our successful development experiences, such as
the Saemaul Undong, or New Community Movement,
with developing countries.
In addition, a united response to climate change
is critical to achieving global happiness. Korea will
actively support the Green Climate Fund, headquartered
in Korea, so that it develops into a significant
organization that supports developing countries in
responding to climate change and the threats it brings.
Deepening global interdependence has led to
the rise of challenges requiring a common response.
Expectations of the role to be played by the United
Nations are now higher than ever before. Indeed, the
United Nations has made great contributions as the
centre of global cooperation and is expected to continue
in those noble endeavours. As former Secretary-General
Dag Hammarskjöld once said, we should
“recognize the United Nations for what it is — an
admittedly imperfect but indispensable instrument
of nations working for a peaceful evolution towards
a more just and secure world order”.
I am reminded of the solemn pledge that my
Government made 22 years ago — that the Republic
of Korea will actively contribute to the resolution of
global challenges through the United Nations. Today, I
stand before the Assembly to reaffirm the commitment
of the new Government of the Republic of Korea — that
Korea will contribute to realizing the era of global
happiness by achieving the goals set out by the United
Nations. It is only when we make common and collective
efforts toward advancing the universal values of peace,
development and human rights that the United Nations
will truly become the parliament of humankind.