South Korea, 2001

Before all else, on behalf of the Government and

people of the Republic of Korea, I wish to convey our

deepest condolences and sympathy to the bereaved

families and friends of those who lost lives in the

horrendous terrorist attacks of 11 September. This

unprecedented criminal act has posed a grave threat to

international peace and security, as well as a serious

challenge to human dignity. Such terrorist acts

constitute a crime against humanity and civilization

that cannot be justified by any cause.

To forestall the recurrence of such incidents and

to eradicate international terrorism, comprehensive and

common efforts at the international level are urgently

needed. The United Nations is expected to play an

important role in these efforts. Immediately after the

terrorist attacks in September, the Security Council and

the General Assembly adopted resolutions denouncing

terrorism and calling for measures for its elimination.

This prompt action, as well as the ensuing debates at

the United Nations, attest to the major role to be played

by the Organization in the anti-terrorism effort.

The Government of the Republic of Korea will

continue to actively take part in the measures taken by

the United Nations, including the implementation of

Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), and will join

the effort to free the international community from the

scourge of terrorism. At the same time, we will spare

no effort in rendering humanitarian assistance to the

refugees who have been displaced as a result of the war

against terrorism.

Furthermore, in preparing to co-host the 2002

Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup, we will do our utmost to

ensure that the event is held in a secure atmosphere

free from the threat of terrorism.

I stand here with much reminiscence. The

Republic of Korea, once one of the major recipients of

United Nations assistance, is now an active contributor

to the effort to realize the ideals and goals of this body.

It is also the country whose Minister for Foreign

Affairs had the honour of presiding over the first

session of the General Assembly in the new century.

The birth of the Republic and its development

thereafter owe a great deal to United Nations

34

assistance. Indeed, the Government of the Republic of

Korea was born from the United Nations-supervised

elections held pursuant to the United Nations

resolution calling for an independent Government in

Korea. During the Korean war, in the early 1950s, we

were able to defend our country, thanks to the

participation and noble sacrifice of the United Nations

forces.

After the war, as the Korean people strove to

overcome the war’s devastation, rebuild the country,

achieve economic development and emerge a

democracy, upholding human rights, we found

enormous strength and encouragement in the support

and cooperation rendered by the United Nations. The

Korean people will never forget this. We will redouble

our efforts to do our share for the cause of global peace

and prosperity, as enshrined in the Charter.

Looking back on the Republic of Korea’s arduous

and eventful process of development over the past half

century, we see that it is an exemplary case of all the

good that can be achieved when the international

community works closely with a people determined to

overcome poverty and the legacy of conflict in order to

build a better future for themselves.

Ten years have passed since the simultaneous

admission of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic

People’s Republic of Korea to the United Nations. In

the intervening decade, particularly during recent

years, much progress has been made in inter-Korean

relations. Taking this opportunity, I would like to

briefly touch upon the peace process that is unfolding

on the Korean peninsula — an effort for which we seek

members’ continuing support.

The first inter-Korean summit, held in June 2000,

was truly a historic event for peace, not only on the

Korean peninsula, but also in East Asia and indeed the

world. Before the summit, the Korean peninsula had

remained a lone island where the cold war maintained

its foothold. The summit initiated the process of

melting away that foothold — the icy wall of hostility

and confrontation that had thickened between South

and North Korea over the past half century. The whole

world welcomed the breakthrough, expressing high

hopes for peace on the Korean peninsula, as

exemplified here by the joint statement of the co-

chairpersons of the Millennium Summit and the

General Assembly resolution.

Since then positive changes have taken place on

the Korean peninsula. There have been three rounds of

reunions by members of separated families. At the

opening of the Sydney Olympic Games, the world was

moved to see South and North Korean athletes march

in together. The project to relink a railway and road

between the two Koreas is now under way. The first

South-North Defence Ministers’ meeting was held with

a view to reducing tension and furthering peace.

Meanwhile, North Korea has steadily expanded

its diplomatic horizon, establishing diplomatic ties with

most countries of the European Union and many

others. Such endeavours have been strongly welcomed

and supported by the Republic of Korea, which has

striven to shore up global support for the Korean peace

process.

The goal of our sunshine policy of promoting

engagement between South and North Korea is for the

two sides to live together in peace and cooperation, in

preparation for peaceful unification. The engagement

policy is actively supported by the whole world, not to

mention the Korean people and key neighbours

surrounding the Korean peninsula. North Korea, too,

embraced the spirit of peace, reconciliation and

cooperation Joint Declaration of 15 June 2000 issued at

the inter-Korean summit.

The Government of the Republic of Korea will

continue to do its utmost so that a lasting peace may

take root on the Korean peninsula and global peace

may be strengthened. We sincerely thank the United

Nations and the leaders of the world for the

encouragement they have given us so far. We shall

continue to count on their steadfast support and

cooperation.

The work required of the United Nations in the

twenty-first century is no less than daunting. Numerous

tasks lie ahead of us, such as fostering international

peace and security, promoting the common prosperity

of the global village, advancing democracy and human

rights, eradicating poverty, combating transnational

crime, protecting the environment and enhancing

human well-being.

Rising to these challenges, world leaders gathered

last year at the Millennium Summit to reconfirm their

responsibilities and to chart a new course for the

international community in the twenty-first century.

The Millennium Declaration aims at materializing a

35

new United Nations that can effectively meet the many

challenges faced by the international community.

It should be appreciated in particular that the

Declaration sets concrete policy goals to free humanity

from fear and poverty. Now the task before all States

Members of the United Nations is to muster the best of

their wisdom and strength in devising and

implementing measures to fulfil the commitments

outlined in the Millennium Declaration. The Republic

of Korea will actively cooperate with all other

Members, so that these commitments may be carried

out faithfully.

With the end of the cold war and the passing of

the twentieth century, reconciliation and cooperation

have come to define the tenor of the evolving global

order. However, genuine global peace has yet to be

obtained. In many corners of the globe, the threat of

terrorism looms large, and conflicts and confrontations

caused by ethnic, religious and economic factors still

persist. Far worse, the greatest victims are often the

most vulnerable groups, such as children, women and

ethnic minorities. In this regard, I fully support the

efforts of the United Nations to strengthen its

capability to prevent and resolve conflicts and to deal

with their aftermath. The conflict prevention and

peacekeeping function of the United Nations is

essential for global peace, and the role of the United

Nations in post-conflict peace-building should also be

expanded.

Humanity in the twenty-first century is at the

mercy of rapid and sweeping changes that are

unprecedented in the history of human civilization. At

the core of the vortex lie the information technology

revolution and globalization. If we fail to meet the

challenges posed by these trends, the promises of peace

and prosperity in the twenty-first century will not be

fulfilled. Member States of the United Nations must

gather their collective wisdom and will so that all

members of the international community can enjoy the

benefits of globalization and the revolutionary

advances in information and communication

technology.

Against this backdrop, President Kim Dae-jung

proposed building a trans-Eurasia information network

at the Asia-Europe Summit last year, with a view to

galvanizing information exchange and cooperation

between Asia and Europe to an unprecedented level. In

order to narrow the information gap between nations,

international assistance is required, particularly in

building the information infrastructures and human

resources of developing countries. In this regard,

greater cooperation and attention on the part of the

developed countries are essential.

Furthermore, the effective management of the

global economy and poverty eradication in the

underdeveloped countries should be placed high on the

agenda of global consultations. The visibility and

transparency of global financial markets should be

enhanced by reinforcing the functions of the

International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International

Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and

other international financial organizations.

The next round of World Trade Organization

(WTO) talks should be launched as soon as possible in

order to strengthen free trade and the multilateral

trading system. In this regard, I hope the International

Conference on Financing for Development, to be held

in March of next year, will succeed in devising a

comprehensive plan to deal with issues related to

poverty and development. We have to bear in mind the

lesson drawn from history that fostering the middle-

class through poverty eradication can lay a solid

foundation for democracy.

As far as the environment is concerned,

international efforts to protect “Mother Nature” should

be carried out in a more effective and substantial

manner.

In some advanced countries, the development of

bio-technology has reached such astonishing levels as

to arouse fear of infringing upon the realm of God.

While acknowledging the positive role such scientific

advancements may have in prolonging human life and

improving the quality of life, we need to prevent them

from being misused and from becoming an affront to

human dignity.

Democracy and human rights are universal values

that must continue to be sought and upheld in the

twenty-first century. In recent decades, democracy and

human rights have claimed many victories around the

world, but they have also suffered setbacks. Human

rights continue to be abused in many parts of the world

in the form of kidnapping and torture, illegal

executions, discrimination and other violations. It is

particularly distressing that large-scale and systematic

violations of human rights persist in some regions of

conflict. Such deplorable acts cannot be tolerated. I

36

sincerely hope that the second conference of the

Community of Democracies, to be held in Seoul in

October of next year, will prove to be a milestone in

this regard.

Humanity places great expectations upon the

United Nations to meet the challenges of the twenty-

first century and to make the most of the opportunities

it brings, because this global body provides a unique

forum for all the countries of the world together to seek

solutions to common problems in the spirit of mutual

respect and cooperation. To rise to the task, the United

Nations requires ongoing reform. Its financial and

organizational foundations must be strengthened in

accordance with its expanding roles. In particular, the

reform of the Security Council, given its importance to

all Member States, must be achieved through general

agreement, with a view to making the Council more

representative, democratic and efficient.

The United Nations must stand firmly at the

centre of efforts to further spread and consolidate

multilateralism around the world, based on the spirit of

mutual understanding and compromise. Tolerance and

dialogue must be upheld in international relations if we

are to make the twenty-first century an era of shared

prosperity and peaceful coexistence among diverse

civilizations.

The Republic of Korea will strive to contribute to

the further development of the United Nations in the

spirit of repaying the generosity it has received from

the international community. Befitting the country’s

growing capabilities, the Republic of Korea’s

contribution to the United Nations budget is to increase

significantly in the coming years, in accordance with

the new scale of assessments adopted last year. Next

year, it will become the tenth largest contributor to the

regular budget of the United Nations. With its troops

now taking part in the Organization’s peacekeeping

missions in East Timor and three other places, the

Republic of Korea will also continue to actively

participate in the United Nations endeavours for peace

and security.

Furthermore, we will share our experiences in

economic development and democratization with our

neighbours in the global village and do what we can to

bridge the gap between the developing and developed

countries.

I am convinced that the United Nations, on the

strength of the concerted efforts of all countries

represented here, will continue to be a beacon of hope,

lighting the road ahead for humanity in the twenty-first

century.