Statement
by
H.E. Lee joung-binn
Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Trade
of
The
Republic of Korea
Mr. President,
1. It gives me great delight and honor to address the General Assembly's first session of the new millennium. I would like to begin by conveying my sincere congratulations to you on your election to the presidency of this historic session, the success of which is ensured, I believe, by the experience and wisdom you bring to the noble task. I would also like to pay tribute to your predecessor, H.E. Dr. Theo Ben Gurirab, whose dedication and leadership enabled the 54th Session to lay the groundwork for the Millennium Assembly. And taking this opportunity, I would like to warmly welcome the admission of Tuvalu to the United Nations.
2. Two weeks ago, world leaders gathered in this very place to rally the political will of the international community to meet the challenges of the new millennium. Their meeting of minds, here in this hall of peace and summed up in the Millennium Declaration, reaffirmed the role of the United Nations as the embodiment of humankind's aspiration for greater peace and prosperity, to be strengthened and fulfilled through the efforts of all Member States.
3. The task, as we would all agree, calls for a more efficient and effective United Nations. It also requires vision and action to secure peace in the troubled comers of the world, to harness the powers of globalization to benefit all, and to enhance the sense of community in the world through the spread of universal values and ideals. And the work must be done not in a piecemeal fashion, but as a whole within a consistent and forward-looking worldview.
4. It is only right that the new millennium should start with the beginning of the end of the confrontations and conflicts handed down from the past era. Such a start has been made on the Korean peninsula with the first South-North Korean Summit meeting in June. As a result, inter- Koreanrelations have taken a definite turn for the better. And the whole world stands to benefit from the liquidation of the final legacy of the Cold War that the Summit appears to have set in motion on the Korean peninsula.
5. The momentous turn on the Korean peninsula is not a chance development. It is the result of patience and consistency, as well as the encouragement and support of the international community, with which the government of President Kim Dae-jung has been promoting engagement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Seizing the moment in history to free the Korean people from the lingering hold of the Cold War, the policy has actively sought to promote exchanges with the North during the past two-and-a-half years, slowly but surely building up the momentum for the top leaders of the two sides to meet.
6. During the June Summit, the two leaders engaged in an extensive discussion on peace on the Korean peninsula, South-North economic cooperation, and the future of the Korean people. At the end, they announced a five-point Joint Declaration, committing the top leaders of the two sides to steering inter-Korean relations away from tension and enmity toward reconciliation, peaceful coexistence and co-prosperity, and eventual unification.
7. The Summit is being followed up with inter-Korean ministerial meetings to work out concrete steps to implement the Summit agreements. Some of the steps have already been taken, such as the reopening of the liaison offices at the truce village of Panmunjom and several socio-cultural exchange programs. Some are in the making, such as the work to reconnect the railroad between the two sides, and the negotiation of necessary legal instruments for full- scale economic exchanges, such as agreements on investment guarantees, avoidance of double taxation, settlement procedures and dispute arbitration. The 3rd ministerial is to be held later this month in Cheju island of South Korea. In the latest development, the two sides have agreed on a return visit to the South by Chairman Kim Jong-il at an early date. Furthermore, in a key move for tension reduction, a South-North Defense Ministers' Meeting is to be held on September 25 and 26, also in Cheju island.
8. Each of these developments stirs the hearts and minds of the Korean people. But none would match the profound emotions that were roused in mid-August by the exchange of visits in Seoul and Pyongyang by families that have suffered the unprecedented humanitarian plight of remaining separated for half-a-century. It was a limited exchange, involving only 100 individuals from each side, out of an estimated ten million members of families tom apart by the national division. But further exchanges are in the planning, as are more lasting solutions to their plight.
9. As dramatic and hopeful as the June Summit and the inter-Korean developments since then have been, only the first steps have been taken in the long process of ending the Cold War and settling lasting peace on the Korean peninsula. We sincerely seek the abiding interest and support of the international community to see us through. In this regard, I would like to express my government's wholehearted appreciation for the statement by the Co-Chairpersons of the Millennium Summit welcoming the inter-Korean Summit and the follow-up measures.
Mr. President,
10. At the dawn of a new millennium, the UN has yet to resolve the old problem of violent conflicts that are worsening in both scope and nature. In many parts of the world, countless lives continue to be lost in armed conflicts, insurgencies and ethnic violence at regional, sub-regional, and intra-national levels. We, as Member States, have to rally stronger political will to prevent a repetition of the tragedies that have. happened or are happening in Rwanda, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Particularly deplorable is that UN personnel in the field are under growing violent attack. We urge all parties concerned to guarantee the safety and security of the peacekeeping, humanitarian, and other UN personnel. In this regard, we welcome the Brahimi Report as providing a useful basis for improving the effectiveness of the PKO activities with adequate mandate and resources.
11. My government remains fully committed to the UN peacekeeping mission. Last year, in support of the democratic aspiration of a people, the Republic of Korea sent an infantry battalion to East Timor. Furthermore, with the economy regaining the growth momentum, we are taking steps to fulfill our pledge of an increase in our contribution to the PKO budget. This is an expression of our firm belief that in the 21st century, the UN should be better prepared and more willing to fulfill its responsibility for international peace and security.
Mr. President,
12. Many leaders at the Millennium Summit spoke of the double-edged nature of the globalizing world, bringing unprecedented opportunities for economic growth on the one hand, while further widening the disparities between the developed and developing countries on the other. Aggravated by the digital divide of the information age, the wealth gap can become a source of unrest and instability around the world. In response, to its already demanding work of assisting development and poverty alleviation around the world, the United Nations must add the task of building the bridge over the digital divide and helping the developing countries partake in the fruits of the information revolution.
13. The Republic of Korea has actively taken on the challenge of globalization. At home, we have turned the recent economic crisis into an opportunity to gear up for the knowledge-based economy of the global information age. We knew that we must emerge from the crisis not simply as we were before the crisis but in a new form fit to thrive in the age of information industries and borderless competition. Thus, bold reforms have been underway to rid the economy of past inefficiencies and to accelerate liberalization and market opening. And active government assistance has been rendered to small and medium venture businesses in the information sector, as well as to the education of the people in computer literacy.
14. All elementary school children, military men and women, and even people in correctional institutions are given mandatory computer education. A major part of the government- subsidized job training for housewives seeking reemployment is also computer-related. The government policies have combined with the intellectual vigor and the adventurous spirit of the Korean people to produce the world's fastest growing Internet population: an estimated 20 million users by the end of the year out of a population of 43 million.
15. While actively promoting the information age, we have also given special attention and care to those pockets of society who would fall further behind without help. Our efforts in this area have built around the concept of "productive welfare", which aims at enabling the socially weak and enhancing the living standards of all. A key operative term is human resources development, which offers training and education to all who are willing to work.
16. We believe that the same c
I oncept of enabling
the weak to develop
their capacities should be applied in international
development assistance. Thus, on the occasion of the
APEC Forum on shared Prosperity and Harmony in Seoul
in March this year, President Kim Dae-jung urged donors
to support the
developing countries in their efforts to set
up "information centers" which would provide communities
access to the Internet and other conveniences of the
information age. I am happy that the proposal is entirely
consistent with the Secretary-General"s
initiative on the
United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS).
17. In addition, my government is increasing its assistance for human resources development in the developing economies through the dispatch of experts and invitation of trainees in the information and telecommunication fields. In particular, in collaboration with the United Nations, we have offered training opportunities to experts from African countries in export promotion. We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations to address the mounting challenges that Africa faces.
Mr. President,
18. Shared values and ideals make for the strongest of bonds that enable nations to work together beyond differences in history, ethnicity and socio-economic development. In this regard, the spread of democracy and its values in the post-Cold War era has greatly enriched the grounds for the global community to build a world of durable peace and prosperity and the dignity of all human beings.
19. Upholding human rights and democratic values at home, democracies should cooperate to promote their universality in the global community. Thus, the Republic of Korea was happy to serve as a co-convenor for the first international conference of the Community of Democracies in Warsaw last June. And we are honored that Korea will host the second international conference of the Community of Democracies in October of 2002.
20. Meanwhile, to strengthen democracy at home, my government has continued the endeavor to improve human rights laws and practices. Presently, we are in the process of enacting a comprehensive Human Rights Law, which will give birth to a National Human Rights Commission The Commission will work to improve the institutional arrangements for the promotion of human rights and raise public awareness.
21. We are also making significant progress in enhancing the rights of women and children, as well as the workers. Particularly noteworthy is the creation of the Ministry of Women, due within this year, to advance gender equality.
Mr. President,
22. As the new millennium opens, the challenges facing the United Nations are multifaceted and ever diversifying. I have mentioned a few. There are many more equally important issues, such as disarmament and sustainable development. However, the resources of the global body remained limited. On-going reform is required to enable the United Nations to meet the challenges with greater efficiency and effectiveness. Thanks to the Secretary-General's initiative, considerable achievements have been made to streamline the organization, but there is still a number of areas where creative input is called for.
23. Security Council reform is one of those areas. We believe representativeness, transparency, and effectiveness must be the guiding terms in the debate for a comprehensive reform of the Council.
Mr. President,
24. We do not need new concepts to describe the challenges of
the new millennium. They are still the problems of peace
and prosperity and the right of hum an beings to live with
dignity. However, globalization has increased the intensity
of the problems, as well as the chances for their resolution.
Therefore, the role
of the United Nations must also be
consolidated.
25. The government
of the Republic of Korea is prepared to
play an active role commensurate with its abilities to
accomplish the common goals of the global community.
I sincerely hope that this august body will lead the way in
putting the lofty spirit of the Millennium Declaration into
action. In the pro cess, the Republic of Korea, heartened by
the enhanced hope for its peaceful and prosperous future,
will play an active
part. Thank you.