South Korea, 2013

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.