South Korea, 2012

Allow

me at the outset to express my sincere congratulations

to Mr. Vuk Jeremić on his assumption of the presidency

of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session. I

have every confidence that under his able leadership

this session will be crowned with great success.

Humankind continues to advance, drawing on our

collective wisdom to address challenges throughout

human history. Although new global challenges to

mankind such as climate change, poverty and disease,

underdevelopment, terrorism and proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction are now testing the

international community, I have no doubt that we will

overcome those challenges on our future path.

The United Nations, the symbol of our collective

wisdom, should take greater responsibility in coping

with the challenges. I note with great satisfaction that

the United Nations is becoming a more accountable and

trusted international Organization under the prominent

leadership of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In that

regard, I recognize and support the Secretary-General’s

five-year Action Agenda, which I believe will guide

us in addressing current world challenges and onward

towards the future we are aiming for.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20), held in June in Rio de Janeiro,

represented a critical step forward towards ushering in the world we hope for. The outcome document, entitled

“The future we want” (resolution 66/288, annex),

marks a substantial advancement for sustainable

development. The task before us now is to capitalize on

our achievements thus far and exert even greater effort

on follow-up actions such as developing sustainable

development goals, strengthening the institutional

framework and mobilizing finance.

As part of such endeavours, the Republic of Korea

established the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

Sixteen countries signed the agreement to establish the

GGGI on the margins of the Rio+20 meeting, and the

Institute will be launched as an international organization

starting in October. The GGGI will engage in a range of

activities for disseminating the green growth paradigm,

in which the economy and the environment form a

virtuous cycle. Moreover, the Korean Government is

prepared to step up its contribution to international

efforts to achieve a sustainable future by hosting the

secretariat of the Green Climate Fund. The Republic of

Korea stands ready to render wholehearted support for

the successful launch and stable operation of the Fund.

The Republic of Korea is keen on contributing

to the balanced and harmonious development of the

international community and is fully cooperating

in such efforts in the context of the United Nations.

The Korean Government continues to increase its

official development assistance to help achieve the

internationally agreed development goals, including

the Millennium Development Goals. The Republic of

Korea underscored the importance of inclusive growth

and development partnership at the 2010 Seoul Summit

of the Group of Twenty and the Fourth High-level

Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Busan in 2011. In

June, the Global Partnership for Effective Development

Cooperation was launched for the implementation of the

Busan commitments. The Busan Forum and the launch

of the Global Partnership will mark a turning point for

international development cooperation by broadening

our perspective from aid effectiveness to development

effectiveness.

Our own experience has taught us that investment

in education is at the heart of effective development.

In that vein, we are confident that the Education First

initiative of the Secretary-General will, indeed, provide

a solid foundation for achieving the international

development goals. The Korean Government extends

its strong support for the initiative. The Republic of Korea is also taking an active part

in the discussions on shaping the post-2015 development

framework. We fully recognize the importance of a

comprehensive approach that takes into account the

economic, social and environmental dimensions of

sustainable development.

The aspiration for human rights, fundamental

freedoms and democratic values is the primary driving

force for the advancement of humanity. Today, many

countries have been striving to advocate human rights

in tandem with democracy. The United Nations, as the

epicentre of the international community’s efforts to

promote and protect human rights, has provided timely

assistance to such countries.

Recently, we witnessed the strong desire of people

in the Middle East and North Africa to realize their

aspirations for democracy and respect for human

rights. The recent positive developments in Myanmar

are also well worth noting in that regard. However,

while those changes are still unfolding, enormous

challenges and difficulties still lie ahead. In Syria, a

great number of civilians have been killed and gross

violations of human rights have been witnessed. With

high hopes towards the efforts of Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi,

the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations

and the League of Arab States for Syria, the Korean

Government will stand by the Syrian people through

this time of suffering together with the international

community.

The Korean Government expresses deep concern

at the recent attacks against diplomats and diplomatic

missions in several places. Such violence cannot be

justified regardless of the motivation.

Putting an end to sexual violence against women

in armed conflict is another issue that warrants serious

attention. Wartime sexual violence is a fundamental

infringement of human rights and is, in fact, an affront to

human dignity and integrity. History has left important

lessons that warn against such egregious acts.

The Republic of Korea would like to urge the

United Nations system and all Member States to do

their utmost to put an end to such atrocities, not only

by taking all measures to protect women and girls in

armed conflict, but also by providing effective remedies

and reparations for victims and ending impunity by

bringing the offenders to justice in accordance with the

relevant resolutions of the United Nations. Both a sound historical consciousness and a

heartfelt soul-searching into any past wrongdoings are

required in order to establish solid peace and stability

between nations. A country’s true valour is proven when

it confronts the dark side of its history and endeavours

to rectify past wrongdoings.

It is the firm conviction of the Korean Government

that respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty

as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,

should be the guiding principle for stable international

relations.

No country should abuse international legal

procedures or the concept of the rule of law in order to

infringe upon the territorial integrity and sovereignty

of other countries or distort historical justice.

The Republic of Korea is actively contributing

to the global efforts being undertaken in pursuit of a

world without nuclear weapons. The Seoul Nuclear

Security Summit held last March brought together

leaders from across the world to galvanize the vision

and the determination of the international community

to achieve a peaceful world without nuclear terrorism.

During the Summit, the Korean Government played a

leading role in forging a consensus to take important

practical steps, such as the substantial reduction of

nuclear materials, the promotion of the universality of

international conventions and cooperation to combat

illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. I am delighted

that the High-level Meeting on Countering Nuclear

Terrorism, which was convened this morning, has

provided new momentum to further energize the efforts

seen at the Seoul Summit for the prevention of nuclear

and radiological terrorism.

Furthermore, existing and emerging threats

in cyberspace, such as rampant transnational

cybercrime and potential cyber conflicts, present

a serious challenge. It is therefore imperative that

the international community address those threats.

By hosting the 2013 Conference on Cyberspace, the

Republic of Korea hopes to contribute in multiple ways

to the ongoing global efforts to maximize the benefits

of digital networks. We further believe that the event

will provide an unparalleled opportunity to pool our

efforts to cope with threats stemming from the misuse

of information and communication technologies.

The North Korean nuclear programme continues

to pose a threat, not only to the security of the

Korean peninsula and North-East Asia, but indeed to the very basis of the international non-proliferation

regime. As long as the Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea continues to pursue its nuclear and missile

programmes, achieving the goal of sustainable peace

on the Korean peninsula and in the region will remain

far off. Unfortunately, the international community’s

aspirations were shattered once again when the

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched a

long-range missile in April 2012. In response to that

provocative action, the Security Council reaffirmed

that the international community will not tolerate the

continued pursuit by the Democratic People’s Republic

of Korea of its nuclear and missile programmes by

issuing a firm and resolute presidential statement in an

unprecedentedly swift manner (S/PRST/2012/13).

We urge with concern that the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea should take concrete measures aimed

at denuclearization, which will also open an avenue to

improving the livelihood of its people. At the same

time, we sincerely hope that the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea will listen to the international

community’s call for the improvement of that country’s

human rights situation, as repeatedly affirmed in the

relevant United Nations resolutions.

As a country that has risen from the ashes of war,

we have learned the values of peace and security. In

that context, we earnestly hope to have the opportunity

to promote such values by serving as a non-permanent

member of the Security Council for the 2013-2014 term.

The Republic of Korea is determined to fulfil that role

with the greatest enthusiasm and devotion. We hope

that States Members of the United Nations understand

and support our bid for membership in the Council.

We are united by the ideals set out in the United

Nations Charter. In pursuit of international peace

and security, the continued promotion of social and

economic development and the promotion of human

rights, we should embrace a spirit of cooperation and

tolerance, with the United Nations at the centre of

international efforts to that end. The Republic of Korea

will persist in fully playing its part in the invaluable

work of the United Nations, taking on the various

challenges that humanity will continue to confront.