South Korea, 2011

I would like

to begin by extending my sincere congratulations to

Ambassador Al-Nasser on his assumption of the

presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth

session. I have every confidence that under his able

leadership this session will be guided to a fruitful

conclusion.

May I also take this opportunity to extend my

warmest congratulations to Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon on his re-election as Secretary-General of the

United Nations, with unanimous support from Member

States, and to thank him for the great commitment and

devotion he has shown over the past five years to

achieving the vision of a responsible United Nations. I

have no doubt that in his second term he will make an

even greater contribution to creating a stronger United

Nations for a better world.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the

Republic of Korea’s membership in the United

Nations. It would be no exaggeration to say that the

Republic of Korea came into the world with the United

Nations and grew up along with the Organization. It

was under United Nations auspices that the democratic

Government of the Republic of Korea was established

in 1948. Through a General Assembly resolution (195

(III)), the Government of the Republic of Korea gained

international recognition as the only lawful

Government on the Korean peninsula. When the

Korean War broke out two years later, United Nations

forces played a decisive role in defending the country.

In the aftermath of the war and during the years of

national reconstruction, the United Nations provided us

with generous economic assistance and the concept of

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universal human rights, thus promoting progress on

both the economic and democratic fronts.

In spite of such special historic ties between the

United Nations and the Republic of Korea, it was only

with the end of the Cold War, in 1991, more than

40 years later, that the Republic of Korea was admitted

to the United Nations. For the past 20 years, the

Republic of Korea has made every effort to realize the

causes and values of the United Nations. We have

played an active role in various areas of international

cooperation, including the global fight against poverty,

sustainable development, the promotion of human

rights and democracy, and the maintenance of

international peace and security.

The Republic of Korea began its journey as one

of the poorest countries in the world, engulfed in war

and poverty, and has managed to achieve remarkable

success on both the economic and democratic fronts. It

may therefore be rightly said that the Republic of

Korea is an exemplary international success story, fully

embracing and reflecting the values espoused by the

United Nations, be they those relating to democracy,

human rights or development.

Now the Republic of Korea wishes to give back

to the international community even more than it has

received. We stand ready to extend a helping hand to

those in need, providing them with appropriate support

and care. We are keen to cooperate closely with the

United Nations and to play a constructive role in

combating the various challenges facing the

international community.

Maintaining international peace and security is

the fundamental responsibility of the United Nations.

For the past 60 years, the United Nations has made

every effort to prevent war and armed conflict in the

international arena. Furthermore, it has provided varied

and creative means for maintaining sustainable peace

in dangerous parts of the world, from preventive

diplomacy and peacekeeping to post-conflict

peacebuilding. The most striking example may be in

the advancement of United Nations peacekeeping

operations. There has been an increase in demand for

United Nations peacekeeping operations since the end

of the Cold War. As a result, not only has there been an

increase in the number of personnel, but the work of

the operations has also become more diverse and

multifaceted, extending beyond the monitoring of

ceasefires to assisting in nation-building.

Peacekeeping operations offer great hope for

millions of those who suffer in the midst of war and

natural disasters. The Republic of Korea is proud to

participate in 10 United Nations peacekeeping

missions, including those in Haiti and Lebanon.

Today, while still struggling with conventional

security threats, the international community faces new

types of security threats, such as the spread of weapons

of mass destruction (WMDs) and the threat of

terrorism. The international community must

strengthen its non-proliferation regime in order to

prevent the proliferation of nuclear, biological and

chemical weapons and long-range missiles.

Furthermore, the threat of transnational terrorism

has emerged as a serious security issue that requires

concerted effort from the international community, in

particular since the attacks of 9/11. The Republic of

Korea stands firmly against, and condemns all forms

and manifestations of, terrorism. Terrorism, a vicious

means to achieve political objectives by taking

innocent civilian lives, cannot be justified under any

circumstances. The international community must

reaffirm its determination to eradicate terrorism and

step up its collective counter-terrorism efforts.

The greatest threat of all, perhaps, emanates from

nuclear terrorism. International cooperation is now

needed more than ever to prevent it. Following the first

Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., last

year, the second such summit will be held in Seoul in

March 2012. The Republic of Korea is making every

effort to ensure that the Summit will constitute a

valuable opportunity for the international community

to build a more solid system of international

cooperation, which is necessary to prevent nuclear

terrorism.

This year, the international community has

witnessed a wave of dramatic changes sweeping across

North Africa and the Middle East. The democratic

movement that began in Tunisia, which then swiftly

spread to Egypt and Libya, has proved that democracy

is a universal value of humankind that transcends

region and culture. At this very moment, the people of

Syria and Yemen are taking great risks to hold aloft the

torch of freedom and democracy.

Democracy is a vehicle that unites the basic

values of humankind, such as freedom and equality,

human rights and the rule of law. The people’s demand

for democracy is their legitimate right. The

33 11-50692

international community and the United Nations must

do all they can to protect these people from persecution

and human rights abuses.

United Nations efforts have played a great role in

the recent democratic progress in Africa. The United

Nations facilitated the birth of the Republic of South

Sudan through peaceful referendum, and played a

crucial role in the progress of democracy in Côte

d’Ivoire by realizing the transfer of power.

Nevertheless, as history has only too clearly

shown, building democracy is no easy task. It is

important that fledgling economies in many parts of

the world become sustainable and robust. Above all, it

is essential that these nations form stable Governments

through elections and achieve economic development.

The United Nations must be there for them.

Democracy constitutes a foundation for

sustainable national development. For the Republic of

Korea, economic growth and democratization have

been achieved in a mutually reinforcing manner.

In the twenty-first century, in this age of

globalization and communication revolution, the tide

of democratization is unstoppable regardless of a

nation’s economic standing.

I believe that a vibrant economy will push

forward economic growth in all corners of the world.

To assist developing nations pursue both democracy

and economic growth is indeed the role of the United

Nations.

The market economy and democracy have

enabled humankind to fulfil the desire for a better life,

along with the values of freedom and individual

happiness. However, the growing gap between rich and

poor, which unfortunately accompanies today’s highly

developed market economy, calls for self-reflection

vis-à-vis the capitalist system and greater public

responsibility.

The growing gap between developed and

developing countries should not only be addressed as a

poverty issue, but should also be understood as a

potential destabilizing element to international peace.

Furthermore, this inequality stands against the global

vision of achieving common prosperity for all

humankind.

It is only when members of the international

community share each other’s burden and work

together in a mutually complementary manner towards

a common goal that the eco-systemic development of

the world can be achieved. Developed nations must

help developing countries to maximize their capacity

so that they can achieve economic growth and

development on their own. To that end, it is important

to foster a global atmosphere that is conducive to

supporting the development of trade, investment,

finance and human resources in developing countries.

International aid must focus on, and provide

support to, areas that form the basis of economic

development in developing countries, such as

infrastructure and trade-related capacity building. At

the same time, efforts must be made to strengthen the

role of multilateral organizations, including the

International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in

development assistance. Such efforts should be

grounded in the sincere belief that the growth of

developing countries will provide a valuable growth

engine for all, including developed countries, by

expanding global demand as a whole.

Through the global financial crisis in 2008, we

have come to realize once again that we live in a highly

interconnected world. A financial crisis that started in

one place became global in an instant. No country was

spared from the bitter sting of economic crisis. In the

face of the crisis, the Group of Twenty (G-20), a

mechanism that brings together both developed and

developing nations, was created.

The Seoul Development Consensus for Shared

Growth, which was adopted last year at the G-20 Seoul

Summit, and the G-20 multi-year action plan outline

specific measures to realize growth that embraces

developing countries as partners. As a member of the

G-20, the Republic of Korea will faithfully and

actively implement those measures.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),

championed by the United Nations, constitute another

important agenda that pursues shared growth between

developed and developing nations. The Government of

the Republic of Korea will be an active participant in

international development cooperation as pursued by

the MDGs. We will faithfully implement our plan to

double our current level of official development

assistance by 2015 and, drawing wisdom from our past

experience, will assist developing countries in ways to

build capacity to achieve genuine growth on their own.

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I hope that the fourth High-Level Forum on Aid

Effectiveness to be held in Busan in November this

year will provide a valuable opportunity to set a new

global cooperation paradigm and partnership to

effectively address new changes and challenges in

international development cooperation.

The cost of reckless economic growth that

ignores environmental warnings will be beyond

imagination. The rise in the Earth’s temperature due to

greenhouse gas emissions has caused abnormal

climatic phenomena. Ecosystem damage due to the

greenhouse effect is causing enormous economic

damage in various parts of the world.

To protect our environment and promote growth

at the same time, we must use less fossil fuel and more

renewable energy, while promoting the safer use of

nuclear energy. Green technology devoted to meeting

these goals will create more jobs for people and will

enable us to attain sustainable economic growth in

decades to come.

Having designated “green growth” as a national

growth paradigm in 2008, the Republic of Korea has

been actively pursuing this goal. The Republic of

Korea was the first country in the world to introduce

the Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth. We

are also investing 2 per cent of our national gross

development product in green sectors every year.

Another important development was the launch

of the Global Green Growth Institute, which was

founded by the Republic of Korea along with like-

minded countries. The aim of the Institute is to share

cutting-edge green technology and experience with

developing countries. In so doing, developing countries

will be able to join in the global green growth

movement and attain economic growth and

environmental protection together as one global

community.

The United Nations shall have a more important

role than ever to play in restoring the equilibrium in

the global ecosystem and promoting shared growth in

the international community. In this regard, I welcome

the inclusion of “Green economy in the context of

sustainable development and poverty eradication” as a

main theme of the 2012 United Nations Conference on

Sustainable Development. I look forward to the

Conference producing a solid vision and action plan

towards economically, socially and environmentally

sustainable development.

The North Korean nuclear threat poses significant

challenges to peace on the Korean peninsula, North-

East Asia and beyond. Over the past 20 years, the

Republic of Korea has made consistent diplomatic

efforts, in cooperation with the international

community, to achieve the denuclearization of the

Korean peninsula and will continue to do so.

In the twenty-first century, we must first work

together if we wish to attain peace and prosperity. This

is a historical trend in which the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea must take part. It is my hope to see

the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea enjoy

peace and prosperity by becoming a responsible

member of the international community. When the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea chooses the

path to mutual benefit and common prosperity, we will

be ready to assist in that endeavour along with the

international community. I sincerely hope that this will

transform the Korean peninsula from a place of conflict

and strife into a bedrock of peace in North-East Asia

and the world.

Today, humankind faces a range of unprecedented

transnational challenges that require closer

international cooperation than ever before. At this

historic moment, the United Nations will have a greater

responsibility and role to play.

Over the 60 years since the establishment of the

United Nations, the dynamics of international relations

have been fundamentally and structurally transformed.

To meet the new demands of the times and address the

diverse challenges of the future, the United Nations

should constantly strive to renew and reinvent itself. In

particular, the Security Council should be reformed to

become more democratic and accountable in order to

fulfil its mandate of maintaining international peace

and security. The Republic of Korea has been actively

participating in discussions on Security Council

reform. We will continue to contribute constructively

to those discussions in the future.

With the spirit of the Charter of the United

Nations always in our hearts, the Republic of Korea

will continue to actively cooperate with the

Organization to create a greater United Nations in

times of change.