Acting Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo delivered the keynote address on behalf of the Korean government at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly held on September 25 (local time) at UN Headquarters.

In his keynote address (click here to read ‘keynote address’) , Acting Foreign Minister Shin presented Korea’s position on global affairs, including the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), development cooperation, green growth, UN peacekeeping operations (PKO), non-proliferation, and UN reform.
 

Acting Foreign Minister Shin said that Korea, which holds the G20 presidency this year, would contribute to international discussions on development cooperation such as the MDGs by adopting development as new main agenda for the G20 Seoul Summit (November, 2010) as well as the faithful implementation of agreements made during the past four G20 summits, including sustainable and balanced growth, financial reform and reforms of international financial institutions.

Acting Foreign Minister Shin urged North Korea to take responsibility for the Cheonan incident, refrain from any further provocations, and meet international demands, such as the UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874 and the Korean government’s “Grand Bargain” initiative, to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

The keynote address at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly was delivered before the representatives of 192 UN members, including about 100 Heads of State and Government.

On the sidelines of the GA session, acting Foreign Minister Shin held a bilateral meeting with fourteen countries (Japan, Australia, Greece, Netherlands, Chile, Singapore, Libya, Panama, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, UAE, Bosnia and Herzegovina). On September 22, acting Foreign Minister Shin met with his Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara to discuss matters of mutual interest, including Korea-Japan relations; North Korea-related issues; and cooperation on the international stage.

Taking note of Prime Minister Kan’s statement issued on the occasion of the 100th year since Japan’s forced annexation of Korea, the two sides agreed that the two countries should usher in a new century in bilateral relations by implementing follow-up measures and other concrete steps.

The Korean side, in particular, requested that the Japanese side make sincere efforts toward the resolution of pending history issues, such as the restitution of Joseon Dynasty Uigwe and other archives; issues involving ethnic Koreans in Sakhalin; and the return of remains of Korean patriots.

Following a review of the current situation on the Korean peninsula and of the North Korean nuclear issue, the two sides reached a common understanding that for the Talks to resume, North Korea should show a shift in attitude by demonstrating a commitment to denuclearization with action, and progress in inter-Korean relations should precede.

The two delegations agreed to cooperate closely for the success of the G20 Seoul Summit and the APEC Summit, both slated for this coming November.