North Korea, 2005

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

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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.

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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.

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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.