South Korea, 2014

Let me start

by congratulating you, Mr. Kutesa, on your election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-

ninth session. I am confident that the Assembly will

make meaningful progress during this session under

your able leadership. I would also like to express my

appreciation to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his

tireless efforts to tackle the numerous crises breaking

out around the globe.

Next year marks the seventieth anniversary of the

founding of the United Nations. I am prompted by the

state of our world today to reflect once again upon the

noble dreams and ideals that inspired the founders of

the United Nations 70 years ago. The founders aspired

to build a new world that places people at the centre, as

the opening words of the Charter of the United Nations,

“We the peoples”, remind us. Throughout the ensuing

decades of the Cold War and the post-Cold-War era, the

United Nations tackled countless crises, striving, as it

did so, to fulfil its purpose of maintaining international

peace, promoting development and upholding human

rights.

Yet our world continues to be beset by widespread

disputes and conflicts, both large and small, despite

the efforts of the United Nations. The civil conflicts

raging on in Syria, Libya and South Sudan are causing

the deaths of untold numbers of innocent women and

children. In Iraq and surrounding areas, the activities

of foreign terrorist fighters are posing new threats to

peace internationally, not to mention in the Middle

East. The fragile ceasefires in Gaza and Ukraine call

for more fundamental and lasting solutions. The recent

Ebola outbreak in Africa, widespread poverty and

natural disasters underscore the scope of the threat

from multiple challenges.

In order to push back against those challenges

to peace and development, we need to return to the

founding spirit of the United Nations by putting people

first and promotinge cooperation among the Members

of the family of nations. To meet the aspirations of

the international community for justice and common

prosperity, the United Nations needs to continue to

play a central role in arranging more rapid and efficient

responses.

The Republic of Korea was founded in 1948 with the

blessing of the United Nations. It was able to safeguard

freedom and democracy during the Korean war that

broke out two years later, again with the help of the

United Nations. Once a country that barely managed to

survive with United Nations assistance, the Republic

of Korea is today a nation that has achieved both an

advanced market economy and democracy. In the course

of that journey, the Republic of Korea came to espouse

the values upheld by the United Nations — peace,

development and human rights — as its own vision.

Given its history, the Republic of Korea is no

stranger to the agonies of the civil wars, aggression,

poverty and humanitarian disasters that are unfolding

around the world. That is why the Republic of Korea

is actively working to serve international peace and

promote human rights and sustainable development

as a member of the three major Councils of the United

Nations: the Security Council, the Human Rights

Council and the Economic and Social Council.

The developments unfolding in the Middle East,

Eurasia, and North-East Asia are a far cry from the

peaceful and just world that was envisioned by the

United Nations founders. Overcoming the instability

and chaos we see today must start with our adherence

to the fundamental order and norms of the international

community, namely, respect for sovereignty and

territorial integrity; refraining from the threat or use of

force in violation of the Charter; and respect for human

rights and humanitarian values.

We need to prevent the development and

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction such as

nuclear weapons, which pose a fundamental threat to

international peace and security. In that regard, we

welcome the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons

through the joint efforts of the United Nations and the

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

and the progress being made in addressing the Iranian

nuclear issue.

By the same token, I would underline the urgency

of resolving the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

nuclear issue, which presents the single greatest threat

to peace on the Korean peninsula and in North-East

Asia. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is

the only country to have conducted a nuclear test in

the twenty-first century. Its nuclear programme not

only is a serious threat to international peace, but

also amounts to a total rejection of the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which is the

backbone of the global nuclear non-proliferation

regime. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

must make the decision to give up its nuclear weapons.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea should

follow in the footsteps of other countries that have

abandoned their nuclear weapons in favour of reform

and opening-up, and it must choose a different path that

supports its economic development and improves the

lives of its people. Should it do this, the Republic of

Korea, together with the international community, will

provide our strong support for developing the economy

of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In addition to that serious challenge on the Korean

Peninsula, North-East Asia is undergoing a difficult

transition. There are growing tensions in the region

surrounding issues of history, territory and maritime

security. Yet, unlike other regions, North-East Asia

lacks a mechanism for dealing with those problems

through multilateral consultations. It is against that

backdrop that I am seeking to advance a North-East

Asia peace and cooperation initiative that is aimed

at building an order of trust and cooperation in the

region. In my view, building up habits of cooperation in

practical areas, such as climate action, disaster relief,

nuclear safety and tackling transnational crime, can

materialize into a multilateral process of cooperation

along the lines of what we see in Europe.

In that context, I have also proposed creating a

North-East Asia nuclear safety consultative body to

discuss nuclear safety issues, a topic of shared interest

for the countries in the region. At the same time, we

are reaching beyond North-East Asia and seeking to

build transportation and energy networks across an

economically interdependent Eurasia, which would

help strengthen political trust and security across the

continent.

This year marks 20 years since the Rwandan

genocide, the world’s greatest humanitarian tragedy of

the late twentieth century. The international community

had pledged “never again” in the aftermath of the

genocides in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the

1990s. Yet, we are witnessing today a different type of

humanitarian disaster unfolding in Syria and Iraq. The

Republic of Korea is actively participating in the efforts

of the United Nations to prevent such humanitarian

tragedies. The Republic of Korea strongly supports

United Nations policies to protect human rights, such

as the Rights Up Front initiative and the Secretary-

General’s “open gate” policy. Even as we speak, Korean

troops are taking part in United Nations peacekeeping

missions in South Sudan and Lebanon, helping with

peacebuilding, reconstruction and the protection of

civilians and human rights.

The Republic of Korea also attaches great

importance to preventing human suffering, particularly

of women and children, who are most vulnerable,

in conflict situations. In that context, during its

presidency of the Security Council in February 2013,

Korea presided over an open debate (see S/PV.6917) on

the protection of civilians in armed conflict and helped

raise global awareness. Korea is also participating in and

championing the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

Sexual violence against women during armed conflicts

is a clear violation of human rights and humanitarian

norms, regardless of how long ago or where it occurred.

The human rights situation in the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea is also the subject of

profound interest and concern for the international

community. In March, the Human Rights Council

adopted recommendations proposed by the Commission

of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea and the international community should

take the necessary measures to implement those

recommendations. In that regard, the United Nations

office that will soon be set up in the Republic of Korea

to investigate human rights abuses in the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea is expected to reinforce such

efforts. The international community should also pay

greater attention to the human rights situation of North

Korean defectors. The relevant United Nations agencies

and countries should provide the necessary support

so that defectors can freely choose their resettlement

destination.

The challenges facing humankind today, such as

absolute poverty and climate change, can be addressed

only through a concerted international response, given

their complexity and intertwined character. Less than

500 days remain until the target date of the Millennium

Development Goals, which was launched with the

aim of eradicating absolute poverty and increasing

social and economic opportunities. The Republic of

Korea is ready, by harnessing our unique historical

experience, to play a bridging role between developed

and developing countries as the post-2015 development

goals are set. In that regard, the decision was made as

a result of the Busan Partnership agreement, adopted

at the Ministerial Meeting in April in Mexico, to turn

the Global Partnership for Effective Development

Cooperation into an international development

cooperative mechanism.

The Republic of Korea will seek to enhance the

quality of its overseas assistance. We will continue

to share our development experience, by globally

promoting the Saemaul movement model, which was

conducive to eradicating rural poverty in Korea through

the spirit of diligence, self-reliance and cooperation.

Having seen the power of education in propelling its

own development, the Republic of Korea strongly

supports and is championing the Secretary-General’s

Global Education First Initiative. Korea will share its

lessons learned and provide substantive support to the

United Nations initiatives on education, which is one of

the main themes of the post-2015 development goals. To

that end, Korea will host the World Education Forum

in 2015 and make efforts to reach an agreement on the

new education objectives for the next 15 years.

Climate change is no less an existential threat

to humanity than the question of war and peace. At

the Climate Summit 2014 held at United Nations

Headquarters yesterday, 23 September, leaders

proclaimed their collective resolve to reach a consensus

on the post-2020 new climate regime. Going forward,

an agreement must be reached on a new climate regime

by the 2015 Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in

Paris. As the host country of the Green Climate Fund

(GCF) and the Green Growth Global Institute (GGGI),

Korea is committed to supporting international efforts

to strengthen developing countries’ mitigation and

adaptation capacities. Above all, we will continue to

work for the full and early operationalization of the GCF

and for the expansion of GGGI assistance to developing

countries. Korea views the climate challenge not as a

burden but as an opportunity to unleash new value,

markets and jobs through technological innovation.

We are nurturing new energy industries. And we hope

to share the fruits of our efforts with other developing

countries.

The Korean people gained independence 69 years

ago, but the subsequent division of the Korean peninsula

precluded its membership in the United Nations as a

single sovereign State. The two Koreas were admitted

separately as Member States to the United Nations

in 1991. Having two separate seats despite a single

language, culture and history is clearly not normal.

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall

of the Berlin Wall, but the Korean peninsula remains

stifled by a wall of division. Countless separated

families have been spending decades in agony, longing

to see their loved ones. Every year, many leave for a

place where they will never be able to meet their loved

ones in person. I call on the international community to

stand with us in tearing down the world’s last remaining

wall of division.

Not long ago, I proposed to the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea that we build corridors that

can connect our environment, our livelihoods and our

culture. In my view, a genuine community that can heal

the wounds of division and move both sides forward

together will come about only when people from the

South and the North are able to live in natural harmony

within a single ecosystem, when separated families are

able to come together and ease their agony, and when

culture is shared.

Today, the Korean peninsula is divided by a

4-kilometre wide, 250-kilometre long demilitarized

zone (DMZ). The DMZ, built around the military

demarcation line to prevent renewed conflict, has

in reality ended up preventing the back-and-forth

movement of people for some 60 years. But from the

stretches of the DMZ would emerge, in those decades, a

treasure trove of nature’s wildlife. The DMZ ecosystem

is a testament to the fact that the South and North are

part of a single whole, one which both sides should

work together to restore. And so I hope to build inside

the very symbol of our division a world ecopeace park

that would begin to reconnect the Peninsula’s divided

nature and divided people. If we can sweep away the

barbed-wire fences from small areas inside the DMZ

and thereby allow people from both sides to live in

natural harmony, such a park could emerge as a corridor

of life and peace.

I call on the United Nations to spearhead these

efforts. Building a park that embodies respect for

international standards and values, and doing so under

United Nations auspices, with all the parties to the

war on board — the two Koreas, the United States and

China — would serve to ease tensions and promote the

peaceful reunification of the two Koreas. A unified

Korea would be a starting point for a world without

nuclear weapons, offer a fundamental solution to the

North Korean human rights issue and help unlock a

stable and cooperative North-East Asia. Just as the

unification of Germany laid the ground for a new Europe

by integrating that continent, a unified Korea could set

in motion a new North-East Asia. I am confident that a

peacefully reunified Korean peninsula will contribute

to realizing the founding purposes and values espoused

by the United Nations.

The founders of the United Nations were not

deterred by the heat of war from looking to the future and

planning for a peaceful post-war world. The Republic

of Korea is committed to a vision of diplomacy that

seeks lasting peace and unification on the peninsula

and peace and development in North-East Asia and

contributes to building a happier world. The Republic

of Korea will do its part in that noble undertaking to

ensure that the United Nations continues to safeguard

our common values and cements its place at the centre

of global governance.