Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

    I would first like to express my sincere appreciation for the leading role of the Governments of Spain and Turkey in forging and nurturing the Alliance of Civilizations. I also pay tribute to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Jorge Sampaio for their noble efforts in advancing this important initiative.

    The globalizing world we live in today has brought many challenges that call for a collective response on our part. One of them is how to ensure that the ever increasing interactions among civilizations are more peaceful and cooperative in nature, with a lower chance of conflict or clashes.

    The Alliance of Civilizations, with its open-minded and future-oriented approach, is well placed to tackle those issues. 2008 is the first year of action for the Alliance. On the basis of a strong and growing partnership among the participating countries, we are ready to work together for a world where mutual understanding and respect bring peace and prosperity for all.

    I believe that our respective regions are good starting points for our collective action. Through mechanisms for regional cooperation, we can not only foster a sense of a shared regional identity, but also celebrate our diversity, recognizing it as a source of strength. In that sense, it is noteworthy that Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Sixth Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) represented by 34 countries, held in Seoul last year, cultural dialogue was proposed as an important cooperative project. The ACD High-Level Study Group will concretize and advance such a proposal through gathering a variety of cultural profiles and activities and other follow-up measures.

    As a participant from Asia, I would like to emphasize the East Asian civilization’s long tradition of harmony, inclusiveness and coexistence. My country, benefiting from the strengths of such a tradition, has moved beyond colonization, civil war and authoritarian rule to achieve a full-fledged democracy. From this experience, we have learned that democratic governance, with such quintessentials as the rule of law and a commitment to pluralism, leads to an enhanced level of tolerance and respect for people and civilizations different from our own.

    Another point I would like to make is that we have to reach out to those who will shape the future. We therefore welcome the Alliance of Civilization’s focus on education, youth, media and migration issues. Korea is exploring ways to contribute to Alliance of Civilizations projects, in particular in the fields of education and youth. In doing so, we place importance on access to and availability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which offers young people new ways to communicate, express themselves, and participate in cross-cultural dialogue. Our government, selecting ICT as one of key priority cooperation areas, is providing assistance, including dispatching Internet youth volunteers to other countries for their ICT infrastructure and capacity-building. These efforts, I believe, will contribute to not only narrowing digital divide but also bridging cross-cultural gap of misunderstanding.

    In today’s world, more and more contact and interaction among civilizations are inevitable. Clashes are not. Through education, cooperation and the building of greater trust and understanding, we can overcome misunderstanding and distrust. The Republic of Korea has long benefited from partnerships that span continents and civilizations. We fully support the mission of the Alliance of Civilizations and believe that, by working together, we can surely build a sense of confidence in a future of shared trust and goodwill.

    Thank you.