South Korea, 2004

I would like first

of all to extend my sincere congratulations to Mr. Jean

Ping on his assumption of the presidency of General

Assembly at its fifty-ninth session. I have every

confidence that he will meet with distinction the

challenges of his eminent office. I would also like to

take this opportunity to pay tribute to his predecessor,

Mr. Julian Robert Hunte, as well as to Secretary-

General Kofi Annan.

The past year has been marked by a series of

atrocious terrorist attacks. The stark reality is that no

people or nation is safe from the spectre of

international terrorism. Through their cowardly acts,

terrorists seek to generate chaos and fear, raining

violence upon the innocent — even children, as we so

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painfully and clearly witnessed in the recent tragedy in

Beslan, Russia. I would like to take this opportunity to

extend my sincere sympathy to all those affected by

terrorist attacks around the world.

The Republic of Korea has been no exception in

its exposure to heinous terrorist attacks. In particular,

we experienced, with deep sorrow and pain, the loss of

a Korean — a victim of such savagery — in Iraq in

June this year. There can be no justification whatsoever

for such brutality and cruel disregard for human life.

That inhuman act has only bolstered our determination

to rid the world of the dark cloud of terrorism. The

Republic of Korea remains firm in its conviction that

the international community must never give in to the

demands of terrorists.

The fight against terrorism calls for unity in the

international community, with the United Nations in

the lead, as well as the enhanced ability of each

individual Member State to combat terrorism.

Iraq still remains a very pressing security concern

for the international community. The inauguration of

an interim Government and the transfer of sovereignty

set in motion the process of political transition towards

a new era of democracy for the Iraqi people. The

United Nations has a wealth of experience to offer Iraq

in the process of its political normalization and

national rehabilitation. The transition cannot proceed

smoothly, however, without the restoration of order. To

that end, the assistance of the international community

is vital.

The Republic of Korea has been actively

participating in international efforts to build a peaceful,

democratic and prosperous Iraq. We strongly believe

that stability in Iraq is vital for peace and security in

the Middle East and beyond. In implementation of

Security Council resolutions 1511 (2003) and 1546

(2004), we are in the process of dispatching 3,600

troops to the multinational forces in Iraq. The aim of

this is to assist the Iraqi people’s efforts aimed at

rehabilitation and reconstruction. We have also pledged

to contribute $260 million to that end, focusing on

areas such as health, education, capacity-building, job

creation and the provision of electricity.

Terrorism lends renewed urgency to our common

endeavour to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass

destruction and their means of delivery. In particular,

this year’s revelations about a nuclear black-market

network in Asia have alerted the international

community to the danger of nuclear weapons falling

into terrorist hands. Faced with this new kind of threat

to nuclear non-proliferation, the international

community must work to close the loopholes in the

existing non-proliferation regime. Against that

backdrop, my Government strongly supports Security

Council resolution 1540 (2004) on non-proliferation,

adopted by the Council in April this year.

The Republic of Korea has actively participated

in the efforts of the international community in the

non-proliferation field. In February this year, we

became the thirty-ninth country to ratify the Additional

Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement. In June, we

joined the Group of Eight (G8) Global Partnership

against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass

Destruction in order to support joint efforts to stem the

spread of deadly arsenals. We held the chairmanship of

the Nuclear Suppliers Group for the year 2003-2004,

and we will also host the plenary meeting of the

Missile Technology Control Regime in Seoul next

month. These are just a few facts that attest to my

Government’s unwavering commitment to the cause of

the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Given such a solid commitment on our part, my

Government reported the recent discoveries about past

scientific experiments involving nuclear materials in

my country pursuant to the additional protocol to the

safeguards agreement with the International Atomic

Energy Agency (IAEA). The experiments were

isolated, laboratory-scale research activities that a few

scientists conducted on their own for purely

experimental purposes. In good faith and with full

transparency, my Government has been providing full

cooperation to the IAEA in its activities to review and

verify our declarations on nuclear research activities.

Renewing and reaffirming our commitment to

nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear

energy, the Government of the Republic of Korea

announced the following “Four Principles for the

Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy” on 18 September 2004.

First, the Republic of Korea reaffirms that it has

no intention of developing or possessing nuclear

weapons. Secondly, the Republic of Korea will firmly

maintain nuclear transparency and will strengthen our

cooperation with the international community to this

end. Thirdly, the Republic of Korea will faithfully

abide by the norms set out in agreements on nuclear

non-proliferation, including the Treaty on the Non-

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Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Joint

Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean

Peninsula. Fourthly, on the basis of international trust

and with the highest level of transparency, the Republic

of Korea will continue to expand the peaceful use of

nuclear energy.

I would now like to turn to one of the most

important tasks that lie ahead: resolving the North

Korean nuclear issue. The Government of the Republic

of Korea has been actively engaged in the efforts to

bring about a peaceful resolution to this issue through

the six-party talks process. The Republic of Korea

firmly believes that the expeditious resolution of the

North Korean nuclear issue is in the best interests of all

the participants in the six-party talks, including the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The resolution

of this issue will certainly have a positive impact on

the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It will also

have a profound effect on the relations between North

Korea and the other countries participating in the six-

party talks.

Upon the resolution of the nuclear issue, North

Korea would indeed be able to become a full-fledged

member of the international community, enabling it to

gain all the accompanying benefits. It is our fervent

wish that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

will make a strategic decision to forgo all its nuclear-

weapon programmes, including its uranium enrichment

programmes, in a thorough and transparent manner.

The Government of the Republic of Korea also

strongly hopes that the fourth round of talks will be

held as soon as possible, so that we can engage in

substantive discussions on concrete steps toward the

denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

While seeking a peaceful resolution to the North

Korean nuclear issue, the Korean Government is

working hard to ensure the steady improvement of

inter-Korean relations. Indeed, Government-level

meetings have been institutionalized and as many as 90

such meetings have been held over the past two years.

Impressive progress is also being made on major

projects for economic cooperation. In particular, the

start of operations at the Gaesong industrial complex,

scheduled for later this year, will be a significant

achievement in inter-Korean cooperation.

As a result of such efforts, we believe that inter-

Korean exchanges and cooperation have now advanced

to a point from which there is no turning back. The rise

of such inter-Korean interaction and interdependence

will certainly contribute to peace and prosperity on the

Korean peninsula and beyond.

There are no easy answers to the many problems

the world now faces, and poverty is at the top of that

list. The roots of poverty run deep, with no simple

solution in sight. A large part of the human population

still languishes in abject poverty, presenting a serious

stumbling block to the achievement of our shared goal

of lasting peace and prosperity for all.

Four years ago, the leaders of the world pledged

to reduce by half the proportion of people living in

poverty and hunger by the year 2015 as part of the

Millennium Development Goals. However, at this

point, the gap between the objectives and the tangible

progress we have made remains wide. It is our sincere

hope that the 2005 high-level meeting to review the

progress made in the implementation of the Goals will

serve to renew our commitment to the world’s poor.

Political will is the key.

Over the past year, the United Nations has

continued its efforts to realize our common aspirations

for the promotion of human rights, freedom and well-

being. While persevering in its quest to make human

rights universal, the United Nations has exerted special

efforts to enable the most vulnerable of our fellow human

beings to enjoy the rights and freedoms that should be

guaranteed to all. In particular, much progress has been

made in the endeavours to draft a convention to

promote the rights of persons with disabilities.

The Government of the Republic of Korea

strongly supports global action to strengthen the values

of human rights and democracy around the world. Just

last week in Seoul, we organized a seminar on good

governance practices for the promotion of human

rights, in conjunction with the Office of the United

Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the

United Nations Development Programme.

Next year in Seoul, my Government will also

host the Sixth Global Forum on Reinventing

Government, in cooperation with the United Nations.

We are convinced that this Forum will serve as a useful

venue for the exchange of experience in Government

innovations aimed at enhancing participation and

transparency in governance.

We also support the United Nations in reaching

out to people in distress in many corners of the world

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and providing life-saving assistance to millions of

refugees and others displaced by conflicts and natural

disasters. We share the concern of the international

community over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in

Darfur, Sudan. Security Council resolution 1564 (2004)

should be implemented so as to bring back peace and

stability to this troubled area and its inhabitants.

Furthermore, all too often, the complexities of

major crises have been fuelled by the public health

emergency created by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In

order to overcome the scourge of HIV/AIDS, it is vital

that we strengthen the global assistance mechanisms.

In this regard, the 3 by 5 Initiative of the World Health

Organization, aimed at providing antiretroviral

treatment to 3 million infected people by the year

2005, is a very timely and proactive initiative.

For almost six decades, the United Nations has

played a crucial role in merging the diverse interests of

our Member States for the global good. As the

international community becomes more interdependent

and areas of cooperation expand further in the twenty-

first century, the world body will have an even greater

role to play.

Meanwhile, doubts have been expressed as to

whether the current United Nations system is suitable

for confronting the challenges of the new century. As

the Secretary-General has pointed out, the United

Nations has come to a fork in the road. Choices must

be made if the United Nations is to be strengthened and

made more effective.

In that regard, the Republic of Korea hopes that the

High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change

established on the recommendation of the Secretary-

General will identify the challenges the international

community faces and recommend ways to deal with

them effectively. We look forward to the Panel’s report

and hope that its recommendations will shed light on

ways to make the United Nations more effective and

responsive to the needs of the twenty-first century.

No doubt, continued reform of the United Nations

will be an important part of our discussions. In

particular, the Security Council, as the primary organ

for maintaining peace and security, must be reformed

in such a way as to make it more representative and

democratic than it is today. In that regard, we share the

view that the Security Council should be expanded to

adequately reflect the increase in the membership of

the United Nations during the past decades. Expansion

of the Security Council should be designed to enable

more countries to participate in the Council more often,

and on the basis of a more equitable geographical

distribution. In that spirit, we support an increase in

non-permanent members so as to accord to those

Member States willing and able to contribute to

international peace and security greater opportunities

to serve in the Council.

As diverse as they are, there is a common thread

that holds together all the views expressed in this

honourable Hall. We are all united in the goal of seeking a

better and more peaceful world. Now more than ever,

countries are called to rise to challenges together, as

Members of our one global body. The Republic of

Korea stands firm in its hopes for and belief in the

United Nations as the steadfast anchor for our

collective endeavours and remains as committed as ever

to fully playing its part in all areas of its noble work.