1. On November 27, the Republic of Korea was elected to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the 17th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) held in The Hague, Netherlands (November 26-30).

2. The Conference elected 21 new members of the 41-member OPCW Executive Council for a two-year term beginning in May, 2013. Elected from the Asian Group were the ROK, China, Japan, India, and Saudi Arabia.

o The Executive Council of the OPCW consists of 41 members elected from 5 regional groups, including Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe, for two-year terms.

o Along with the Conference of the States Parties to the CWC, the Executive Council is the highest-level policy-making body to implement the CWC. The Council exercises various powers and functions, including the destruction of chemical weapons and verification activities, international cooperation, recommending a candidate for the Director-General, making decisions on the structure and budget of the Secretariat, and cooperation with other international organizations related to disarmament.

3. The ROK, which has the world's sixth largest chemical industry, has served continuously on the Executive Council since the CWC took effect in 1997. The ROK will continue to work to take the lead in international efforts for the destruction of chemical weapons and the accession of non-parties to the Convention.

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation