1.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
I am deeply grateful that we were able to invite the ambassadors of
the United Nations Sending States of the Korean War. The UN Sending
States have been incessantly helping us in our journey towards the
peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the singing of the Korean
War Armistice Agreement, and on 11 of this month an annual ceremony
was held to commemorate the International Memorial Day for UN Korean
War Veterans.
Throughout three years of the Korean War, approximately 2 million
soldiers from 22 member nations of the United Nations committed
themselves to safeguard freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea.
I would like to take this opportunity to honor the noble sacrifice
of the veterans who bravely gave their lives in defense of our
freedom, and express our deepest gratitude to the United Nations
Sending States.
President Yoon Suk Yeol puts special emphasis on a values-based
approach to foreign and North Korea policies. The UN Sending States
share common values such as freedom, democracy, and human rights with
the Republic of Korea.
Our shared values are the foundation for revitalizing the United
Nations Command to maintain peace and prosperity on the Korean
peninsula as well as in the East Asian region.
In this regard, today’s gathering is very timely and meaningful.
2.
The North Korean regime is now preoccupied with
continuing its nuclear weapon and missile programs while ignoring the
plight of its people, and this is posing a serious threat to global
peace and security of our time.
To meet this challenge, first of all, we need to make sure North
Korea understands that it can gain nothing out of its nuclear and
missile threats and provocations. Then it needs to be followed by
efforts to create a strategic environment that leads North Korea back
to the negotiation table.
I am convinced that if we are unwavering in our commitment to
solidarity with the UN Sending States, the ROK-US alliance and the
international coordination system, and persist in sanctions and
pressure on the regime, North Korea will eventually be left with no
other options but to change.
3.
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration regards human rights as
an issue of equal importance as the North Korean nuclear problem, and
invests efforts to improve the human rights situation in the North.
The efforts made by the Yoon administration include publishing the
first annual report on human rights in North Korea, returning as a
sponsor of the UN resolution on North Korean Human Rights, and
appointing an ambassador-at-large for North Korean human rights to
fill a vacancy that had lasted more than four years.
Additionally, we have recently hosted a briefing on North Korea’s
human rights situation for foreign diplomats stationed in Seoul, and
will continuously work to expand common ground with the international
community on this issue.
This is just the beginning of our future endeavor to advance and
raise awareness of human rights in North Korea through various actions
and activities.
This December, the Ministry of Unification is planning to announce a
comprehensive step-by-step road map on North Korean human rights to
facilitate more systematic cooperation with the international
community and civil society.
Another informative report titled “Economic and Social Reality of
North Korea” is also slated for release in December. This report is
based on in-depth interviews with some 6,000 North Korean defectors
over the past decade.
I humbly request the attention and support of the UN Sending States
to ensure these efforts to bring about the actual betterment in North
Korean human rights.
4.
I believe that a shortcut to international cooperation
and solidarity to solve the Korean Peninsula problem is to strengthen
our communication with the diplomatic missions in Seoul, which serve
as a bridge between the Republic of Korea and your home countries.
The Ministry of Unification will always keep an open ear to your
excellencies our continuous communication and make further efforts to
advance relations with the UN Sending States on the foundation of our
shared history of cooperation and determination for the freedom of the
Republic of Korea.
Once again, I would like to thank all the United Nations Sending
States and the veterans for their lofty service to the freedom, peace,
and prosperity of our country.
The Republic of Korea will never
forget their noble sacrifice and dedication.
Thank you.
