● Foreign Minister Speaks about the New ROK Government’s Foreign Policy Vision in his Keynote Address at the UN General Assembly

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se delivered a keynote address at the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 27.


In the first UN General Assembly speech by an official of the Republic of Korea since the launch of the Park Geun-hye government, Minister Yun spoke about the new ROK government’s foreign policy vision aimed at opening an “era of global happiness” and its “trustpolitik” strategy. He explained how the UN’s three key agenda – peace, human rights and development – harmonize with and are embodied in the aforementioned policy priorities of the Park Geun-hye government. He elaborated on the ROK government’s position on its key diplomatic issues in light of those policy priorities.

☞ Full Text of Foreign Minister's Keynote Address

o Speaking about “peace,” Minister Yun condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria, one of the biggest current issues facing the international community, and underscored the need for a united international response led by the UN Security Council.

o Minister Yun also welcomed the recent agreement between the US and Russia on the “Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons”; condemned in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in Syria as a crime against humanity that cannot be tolerated under any circumstances; and called upon non-signatory countries to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), including North Korea, to accede to the Convention as soon as possible.

o In terms of “human rights,” the Minister emphasized the need to uphold the principle of non-refoulement of refugees and urged North Korea to convene as soon as possible the reunion of families separated during the Korean War.

- Minister Yun brought attention to the grave issue of wartime sexual violence and emphasized that for the victims of sexual violence during conflicts of the last century, measures that are responsible and acceptable to the victims are called for to restore their honor and soothe their pain. .

o With regard to “development,” the Minister explained the ROK’s recipient-oriented development cooperation policy, including sharing its development experiences such as Saemaul or New Community Movement, and highlighted the need for common response to climate change.

On North Korea, he drew attention to the seriousness of North Korea’s ongoing WMD programs that pose a threat to international peace and security and stressed the need for the international community to forge united efforts to roll back North Korean’s nuclear weapons programs.

o Minister Yun noted that North Korea should strictly implement its obligations under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. He added that if the country decides to give up its parallel pursuit of economic development and nuclear armament and embarks on a path of genuine change, the ROK stands ready to help North Korea.

o The Minister voiced regret over North Korea’s unilateral cancellation of the plan for family reunion; reaffirmed the ROK government’s insulation of humanitarian issues from political considerations; and urged North Korea to convene the family reunion as soon as possible.

- Minister Yun also touched upon the Korean Peninsula trust-building process, the Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative and creation of a world peace park in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

• MOFA Spokesperson’s Commentary on the Adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2118 for the Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons

The Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) welcomes and strongly supports UN Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), a binding resolution for the implementation of the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria, which was adopted unanimously at the emergency ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council held in New York on 27 September 20:00 (local time). The Government of the ROK further commends the decision adopted on 28 September 00:30 (local time) by the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), setting out technical details for the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons.

With regard to the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2118, the Government of the ROK commends the negotiation efforts by the U.S. and the Russian governments, and appreciates the role conducted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN chemical weapons investigation mission.

The Government of the ROK urges the Syrian government to immediately and fully comply with UN Security Council resolution 2118 and the OPCW Executive Council decision, and to fully cooperate with the UN and the OPCW in the process. Furthermore, the ROK Government expects the destruction of all chemical weapons in Syria, and the verification thereof, to be implemented in a complete and expeditious manner, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2118 and the OPCW decision.

The Government of the ROK will actively engage in international efforts to eliminate chemical weapons from not only Syria but the entire world. The ROK Government calls upon States that have not yet acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), including North Korea, to do so without delay.

The Republic of Korea sincerely hopes that a political solution will be reached for the Syrian situation through an early convening of an international conference on Syria to implement the Geneva Communiqué, as called for by UN Security Council resolution 2118.

☞ Foreign Minister's Remarks at the Meeting of the UN Security Council

• Foreign Minister Presents a Vision for Development toward an “Era of Global Happiness” at a UN Meeting

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is attending the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, was invited to attend as the representative of donor countries the High-Level Side Event on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Acceleration co-hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank on September 24. At the meeting, he delivered remarks on ways for the Republic of Korea to contribute to poverty eradication and acceleration of MDGs achievement.


At the meeting, Minister Yun underscored that the ROK, as a donor-turned country that achieved rapid industrialization and democratization, has a strong sense of responsibility to contribute to poverty eradication in developing countries. He relayed the willingness of the ROK to share with the international community its development experiences, including through its Saemaul Undong (new village movement).

° He brought attention to the ROK’s contribution to laying the groundwork for accelerating MDGs progress, including hosting the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan in 2011 and launching the Busan Global Partnership in 2012. He also highlighted the ROK’s determination to make its best efforts for the Busan Global Partnership to contribute to accelerating MDGs progress and advancing the post-2015 development agenda.

☞ Press Release

• Foreign Minister Calls for the Security Council’s Active Role in Combating Illegal Transactions in Small Arms

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is participating in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, attended the UN Security Council High-level Meeting on Small Arms on September 26. The meeting, presided over by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop of Australia, the Security Council chair for September, brought together UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and high-level representatives from 15 Security Council members. The participants discussed the Security Council’s role in dealing with the impact of illegal transactions in small arms on world peace and security and adopted the Security Council resolution 2117.


o There are many cases where small arms are illegally traded and used in connection with drug transactions and organized crimes. Small arms, if accumulated in large quantities, can destabilize the security situation.

In his remarks to the meeting, Minister Yun expressed concerns that the illegal transfer, excessive accumulation and abuse of small arms have a negative impact on world peace and security. Explaining the ROK government’s basic position of contributing to global efforts to secure world peace and protect future generations from such problem, Minister Yun proposed ways to strengthen the Security Council’s role in addressing the issue of illegal trade in small arms. The Minister also stressed that the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) adopted in April needs to take into effect as soon as possible.

☞ Press Release

• Foreign Minister and the UN Secretary-General Discuss the UN’s Key Issues

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se paid a courtesy call on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters on September 26. During the call, the two sides exchanged views on the North Korean nuclear issue and other issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, the situation in Syria, and the progress in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 development goals.

With regard to inter-Korean relations, Minister Yun voiced his regret over the fact that despite the resumed operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex achieved through the ROK government’s “trustpolitik,” North Korea unilaterally cancelled the plan to hold reunions of families separated during the Korean War.

° Secretary-General Ban expressed hope for an increase in inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges including family reunions. He extended his appreciation to the ROK government for providing increased humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people in North Korea.

In terms of the situation in Syria, Minister Yun commended the Secretary-General’s leadership, including dispatching a UN team to investigate the suspected use of chemical weapons by Syria. The Minister added that the ROK, as a member of the UN Security Council, has been taking an active part in discussions on ways to resolve the Syrian situation, while extending humanitarian aid to the country.

° Secretary-General Ban offered his appreciation to the ROK for supporting the activities of the UN investigation team and providing humanitarian assistance to Syria.

With regard to the progress in the MDGs and discussions on the post-2015 development agenda, the Secretary-General commended the ROK government for its active role in them, especially by expanding its official development assistance (ODA).

° Minister Yun took note of smooth progress of the relevant discussions during the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly. He added that the ROK will continue making meaningful contributions to the discussions by sharing its experiences in development, hosting the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan and taking the lead in advancing the G20 development agenda.

• ROK to Expand Cooperation with the UN to Share its Saemaul Undong Experience

On the sidelines of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Shin Dong-ik and Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the body that oversees the UN’s development cooperation affairs, signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement) Global Initiative at the UN Headquarters on September 26.

* Under the MOU, experts from the ROK and the UNDP, in a bid to establish Saemaul Undong as an exemplary rural development project model, will set Saemaul Undong as a model through a joint study, implement its pilot projects in 3-4 countries and share its implementation strategies and outcomes with the international community.

The MOU has been signed in response to the international community’s interest in rural development models for developing countries and to the request of many developing countries, especially those in Asia and Africa. The MOU is expected to help spread Saemaul Undong across the world through the UN body.

☞ Press Release