North Korea, 1996

I should like first of all, on behalf of the

delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,

to congratulate Mr. Razali Ismail on his election as

President. We are pleased that Malaysia, an Asian

country, has assumed the presidency of the fifty-first

session of the General Assembly. We believe that the rich

experience he has gained in the course of dealing with

international issues will crown the current session with

good results.

I should also like to express my gratitude to

Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal, the former

President, for his great contribution to the success of the

previous session of the General Assembly. My

appreciation also goes to the Secretary-General,

Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his efforts devoted to

strengthening the United Nations.

The building of a new world free from all forms of

domination and subjugation, and aggression and war has

long been the common and cherished aspiration of the

world’s peoples. However, domination and subjugation,

and subordination and inequality still predominate in

international relations — even today, after the end of the

cold war — and this constitutes a great challenge to the

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realization of world peace and security and the

democratization of international society.

Recent developments in the international arena are

eloquent proof of the fact that every country should firmly

maintain its independence in order to safeguard its national

dignity and rights and to build a free and prosperous world.

For the Korean people, the last half-century has been

a period of struggle and progress in their efforts to

consolidate and develop our style of socialism and to

reunify the divided country despite all kinds of challenges

and difficulties.

Though caught in the vortex of the complex and

fluctuating international situation surrounding the Korean

peninsula, the Korean people have been able to march

forward continuously along the road to socialism — which

they themselves chose — without any vacillation,

disappointment or vicissitude, despite the fact that on an

untrodden and poorly paved path, every step is difficult.

This has been possible because they have firmly maintained

independence in all domains of state-building on the basis

of the Juche idea, the political philosophy of the Korean

people.

The Juche idea, based on the philosophical principle

that man is the master of everything and decides

everything, regards the popular masses as the driving force

of the socio-historical movement, and identifies the people’s

struggle for independence, sovereignty and development as

the way to realize their independence. We have carried out

our independent policy on the basis of the Juche idea,

relying on the strength of our own people. In international

relations, we have firmly adhered to the principle of not

infringing upon the sovereignty of others and of not having

our own sovereignty violated.

At a time when international relations and the situation

are becoming increasingly complicated, it becomes ever

more important for a small country like ours firmly to

maintain an independent stand. The Juche philosophy,

created by the fatherly leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, the

founding father of our socialist Korea, and our independent

policy, based on this philosophy, have been credibly

followed by the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il. The

great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il has guided wisely all the

affairs of our Party, State and army for more than three

decades, and thus has consolidated and developed our

unique style of socialism into an indestructible one.

The leader and the people are firmly united in one

idea and will, and the independent policy based on the

Juche idea has deep roots in our territory. As a result,

there has been neither a political vacuum nor instability

in our society, and our style of socialism is advancing

vigorously, regardless of what others may say.

It is the greatest fortune and happiness for our

people to have the respected Comrade Kim Jong Il, the

outstanding politician and iron-willed brilliant

Commander, as the supreme leader of the Party and State

and the Supreme Commander of the revolutionary armed

forces. Under the wise leadership of the great leader

Comrade Kim Jong Il, our people will make their country

prosperous and realize the fatherly leader's lifelong

teachings on reunification, convinced of the victory of our

style of socialism.

We hold that the question of national reunification

should also be settled in the interests of the Korean nation

in the context of the maintenance of international peace

and security, based on the specific conditions of our

country. In view of current realities in the North and

South of Korea, characterized by different ideas and

systems, national reunification through confederation is

the only way to achieve a great national unity

independently and peacefully, on the principle of neither

side conquering or being conquered by the other. It is

quite natural that the proposal for national reunification

through confederation set forth by Comrade Kim Il Sung,

the fatherly leader of our people, enjoys worldwide

support.

The pressing issue in the realization of national

reunification through confederation on the Korean

peninsula is the establishment of a new institutional

mechanism for easing tensions and ensuring peace and

security. Since the Armistice Agreement, signed in 1953,

and the Military Armistice Commission, the executive

body of the Agreement, remain paralysed by unilateral

measures on the part of the United States, the

establishment of a new peace arrangement is imperative

in order to avert the danger of accidental conflicts, and

for the maintenance of security on the Korean peninsula.

Accordingly, in April 1994 the Government of the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea advanced a

proposal for the establishment of a new peace

arrangement to replace the outdated system of Korean

armistice in ensuring peace and security on the Korean

peninsula. It also advanced in February of this year an

epoch-making proposal to conclude an interim agreement

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between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the

United States, a proposal that delineates in detail a new

peace arrangement that takes account of the United States

policy towards Korea and the present status of Democratic

People's Republic of Korea-United States bilateral relations.

The interim agreement may include issues concerning

the management of the Military Demarcation Line and

Demilitarized Zone; ways of addressing cases of armed

conflict and accidents; the composition, duties and terms of

reference of a joint military body; and other issues related

to the maintenance of security and order.

The United States and South Korean authorities,

however, replied to our peace-loving proposal by

aggravating tensions with large-scale war exercises and an

arms build-up on the Korean peninsula. This situation

urgently requires the establishment of a legitimate channel

for contacts between military personnel, with a view to

preventing accidental armed conflicts and the recurrence of

war. It is on the basis of this consideration that the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea proposed to the

United States working negotiations for talks relating to the

conclusion of the interim agreement, and the establishment

of an interim mechanism responsible for its implementation,

between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and

United States military authorities, the real parties to the

Korean Armistice Agreement.

There is no doubt that the conclusion of an interim

agreement between the Democratic People's Republic of

Korea and the United States will constitute a breakthrough

for the negotiations on the signing of an agreement aimed

at the maintenance of a durable peace, and it will, in turn,

eventually lead to the creation of an atmosphere favourable

for the implementation of the Agreement on Reconciliation,

Non-Aggression and Exchanges and Cooperation, between

the North and South, adopted by the North and South of

Korea.

If the United States is truly interested in the

maintenance of peace on the Korean peninsula, as it

mentioned while proposing the “four-party talks”, it should

be willing to withdraw United States troops from South

Korea. On the other hand, the United Nations should take

its own measures, without delay, to retrieve its name and

flag from United States troops in South Korea, thus helping

to establish a new peace arrangement on the Korean

peninsula.

The existence of the United Nations Command in

South Korea constitutes a legal obstacle to turning the state

of armistice into a durable peace and terminating the cold

war on the Korean peninsula. The United Nations

Command was not established by a United Nations

resolution. It is only a product of the cold-war era, which

came into existence through the abuse of the name of the

United Nations. The United Nations Command has moved

towards dissolution without any United Nations

resolutions during the post-war period, and consequently

only United States troops remain there today.

This stark fact presents a vivid illustration of the fact

that the “US-ROK Joint Command” is usurping the

helmets of United Nations forces and the name of the

United Nations.

In the past two years since the adoption of the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea-United States

Framework Agreement, we have been sincerely fulfilling

our obligations under the Agreement, as we have shown

by freezing all of our nuclear facilities. For the full

implementation of the Democratic People's Republic of

Korea-United States Framework Agreement, which is

aimed at the fundamental resolution of the nuclear issue

on the Korean peninsula, the United States should, among

other things, fulfil its obligations, including lifting

economic sanctions against the Democratic People's

Republic of Korea; and the present Democratic People's

Republic of Korea-United States relationship of

confrontation should be transformed into a relationship

based on trust.

There is also a need for several other countries

pursuing unfriendly policies towards the Democratic

People's Republic of Korea to change their attitudes,

which would certainly be conducive to facilitating a

resolution of the issue. We will make every effort to

ensure peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in

the region of North-East Asia.

On this occasion, I wish to express my deep

gratitude to the Governments of various countries, the

affiliated organs and specialized agencies of the United

Nations system, including the Department of

Humanitarian Affairs, non-governmental organizations,

and individuals for their moral, material and humanitarian

assistance and encouragement to our people, which have

been provided in the hope of removing, as quickly as

possible, the damage caused in recent years by successive

natural disasters.

In order to eliminate the legacies of the cold-war

era, which has been negated by history, and to enable all

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countries and nations to exercise their sovereignty on an

equal footing, international society should be democratized.

The United Nations should, first of all, be restructured into

a democratized Organization. The restructuring of the

United Nations should be undertaken in a way that will

fully represent the interests of developing countries, which

form the majority of United Nations Member States, and

also ensure the exercise of their sovereignty in the process

of resolving major international issues.

Only when the United Nations is restructured will it be

able to do its part in the maintenance of international peace

and security and ensure democracy and impartiality in its

activities. The priority for the democratization of the United

Nations is to enhance the authority of the General

Assembly, the body in which all Member States are

represented equally. We consider that issues relating to

international peace and security should be brought directly

to the General Assembly for deliberation, and that a new

system should be established to endorse Security Council

resolutions on the use of force, sanctions and peace-keeping

operations. Such measures would enable the Security

Council to give full consideration to the interests of

Member States and thus prevent the adverse effects suffered

by many countries as a result of the implementation of

Security Council resolutions.

The restructuring of the Security Council is the most

essential element in the democratization of the United

Nations. There are a number of issues to be resolved in

restructuring the Security Council, and we consider it

reasonable to proceed with the restructuring gradually,

based on the principle of first finding issues on which

agreement can be reached and achieving consensus on each

of them. From this viewpoint, we believe that consensus

may be reached on issues concerning the enlargement of

the non-permanent membership of the Security Council and

the improvement of its working methods, both of which

have already been agreed upon in principle by Member

States.

In this regard, our delegation considers that it is

possible for Member States to agree upon, above all, issues

such as offsetting the imbalance in regional distribution

through an increase of more than 10 seats in the

non-permanent membership of the Security Council, to be

allocated among the regions of Asia, Africa and Latin

America, and through providing the countries concerned,

including the parties to disputes, with access to informal

consultations of the Security Council.

Japan is taking advantage of the proposed

enlargement of the permanent membership of the Security

Council by attempting to become a permanent member

even though, as a defeated State of the Second World

War, it has failed to make an appropriate apology or

provide compensation for its war crimes but, instead, is

trying to justify them after more than half a century has

passed. This makes a mockery of Member States,

particularly the Asian countries.

Disarmament — especially nuclear disarmament —

remains one of the most important problems for the

maintenance of international peace and security. We

believe that the nuclear-weapon States should provide

negative security assurances to the non-nuclear-weapon

States, commit themselves to the non-use of nuclear

weapons, and draw up and implement a timetable for

their complete abolition.

Despite the end of the cold war, regional, religious

and ethnic disputes are being further aggravated in

various parts of our planet, and consequently world peace

and security are gravely disturbed and peoples are

suffering from untold misfortunes resulting from them. It

is our consistent stand that disputes between countries and

nations should be settled immediately through dialogue

and negotiation in the interests of the parties concerned

and in conformity with international peace and security.

At present, the maintenance of peace and security in

North-East Asia is one of the most vitally important

problems. In order to ensure peace and security in North-

East Asia, the arms race and any attempt aimed at

fostering military collusion with outside forces should be

brought to an end. However, the military collusion

between the United States and Japan is being intensified,

and furthermore, the United States, Japan and South

Korea are becoming less disguised in their attempt to

build up a tripartite military alliance by repeatedly

launching joint military exercises in this region on the

pretext of North Korea’s so-called invasion.

In particular, the arms race is further accelerated

because the Japanese authorities are resorting to the

unreasonable policy of trying to become a military super-

Power, building up their arms and developing nuclear

weapons. We strongly urge the Japanese authorities to end

their confrontational acts against the Democratic People's

Republic of Korea, including an arms build-up under the

veil of an “immediate response in case of emergency”.

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The question of social and economic development is

directly linked with international peace and security, and its

resolution is therefore one of the important tasks before the

United Nations. We hope that agreement will soon be

reached on issues with regard to the implementation of the

commitment to official development assistance and the

alleviation of external debt, thereby facilitating the

completion of the Agenda for Development at the earliest

possible date in the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group

on an Agenda for Development.

We consider that reform of the United Nations in the

fields of social and economic development should be

directed towards strengthening the agencies responsible for

development cooperation under the United Nations system,

thereby contributing to accelerating the implementation of

the declarations and action plans for the development of

developing countries.

The application of “selectivity”, which relates

development cooperation and technology transfer to

questions of “human rights” and “terrorism”, should no

longer be tolerated, and measures such as economic

sanctions should be eliminated to ensure the economic

development of Member States and regions.

The Government of our Republic, which regards the

man-centred Juche idea as its guiding idea, is providing all

its people with political, economic and cultural rights and

legally protecting the lives and dignity of human beings.

We reject the politicization of human rights, which abuses

the “question of human rights” in order to infringe upon

the sovereignty of other countries, and we oppose all

forms of terrorism jeopardizing human lives, as well as

any activities encouraging or assisting terrorist acts.

Today, all justice-loving and peace-loving countries

and nations are making active efforts to establish a new

world order and equitable international economic relations

for the twenty-first century. We express our appreciation

to the Asian countries in their efforts to ensure peace and

stability and to achieve common prosperity in their

regions. It is good that the Asia-Europe meeting, held

early in 1996, agreed upon the strengthening of economic

links and cooperation between the continents.

We support the Arab and Syrian people in their

effort to strengthen unity and cooperation, and to achieve

a fair and comprehensive resolution of the Middle-East

question, including the Palestinian issue, and we express

solidarity with the Libyan people in their struggle to

defend the sovereignty of their country.

We appreciate the efforts of the Organization of

African Unity to resolve social and economic issues and

disputes in the African region. We express solidarity with

the just cause of the Cuban people to lift the blockade

against Cuba, and, with the Latin American people in

their endeavours for peace and prosperity in their region.

We will continue as before to develop relations of

friendship and cooperation with all countries of the world

on the basis of ideas of independence, peace and

friendship and will endeavour to fulfil the obligations

entrusted to us in the achievement of the common cause

of humankind for world peace and security under the wise

leadership of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il.

The delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea will make sincere efforts towards the successful

outcome of the debates on the agenda items before this

session of the General Assembly.