RESPONDING TO WMD CHALLENGES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC:
DIPLOMACY AND DETERRENCE
H.E. Yoon Kwang Ung
Minister for National Defense, ROK
(As delivered)
“Responding to WMD Challenges in the Asia-Pacific :
ROK’s Perspective on the North Korean Nuclear Issue”
* Speech delivered by H.E. Yoon Kwang Ung, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, at the 4th IISS Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) on June 4, 2005
Thank you very much John!
Distinguished defense ministers, parliamentarians, senior representing officials and scholars, members of respective delegations, ladies and gentlemen!
It is a great honor and pleasure for me to have this outstanding opportunity to speak and exchange views on the Republic of Korea’s perspective on responding to WMD challenges, in particular, with respect to the North Korean nuclear issue.
Today’s international community is seriously challenged by the threat of WMDs such as nuclear weapons, bio-chemical weapons, and missiles. If such dangerous weapons were held in the hands of groups or states with undesirable intentions, human civilization would be confronted with a most dangerous crisis. Therefore, I believe that it is imperative for all nations to join together in every effort to solve the issues of WMD proliferation and terrorism.
In particular, North Korea’s development of its nuclear program is a serious challenge to the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. North Korea’s nuclear program will also pose a serious threat in that it will destabilize the military balance on the Korean Peninsula, bring about a nuclear domino effect, eventually escalating a nuclear arms race.
(North Korea’s Nuclear Program)
As you are all aware, this is not the first time for North Korea’s nuclear program to be raised as a pending major international security issue.
In 1989, photographs revealing North Korea’s nuclear facilities were disclosed and North Korea’s nuclear program was raised as an international issue, provoking a serious crisis. Eventually, this matter was temporarily settled between North Korea and the United States through the 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework.
However, North Korea re-triggered a nuclear crisis by admitting its pursuit of a uranium enrichment program during a U.S. envoy’s visit to Pyongyang in October 2002. Seals applied to the nuclear facilities in accordance with the nuclear freeze agreement of the Agreed Framework (AF) were removed and re-activation of nuclear facilities by Pyongyang have aggravated the situation. Furthermore, North Korea has significantly worsened the evolving situation by openly declaring on February 10th of this year that it “possesses nuclear weapons and will increase its nuclear weapons arsenal.”
(South Korea’s Position and Efforts to Resolve the Nuclear Issue)
As a party directly concerned to the North Korean nuclear issue, the Government of the Republic of Korea firmly maintains its position that it will not tolerate a nuclear weapons development program by the North Koreans under any circumstances whatsoever, and that the North Korean nuclear issue must be peacefully resolved through dialogue. Firmly maintaining this position, we are endeavoring to resolve the issue at hand.
The Republic of Korea, in order to resolve this nuclear issue, has closely cooperated with relevant countries and has also contributed to successfully holding three rounds of 6-party talks. During the first 6-party talks held in August of 2003, all parties were able to reach an agreement on two basic principles; the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue through peaceful and diplomatic means.
In June of 2004, the third round of 6-party talks was held where the Republic of Korea, the United States, and North Korea presented their respective schemes on how to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Such presentations have resulted in establishing another meaningful cornerstone to pursue negotiations. However, due to North Korea’s pre-requisite demands for the United States to withdraw its perceived ‘hostile North Korea policy’, the 6-party talks have been indefinitely suspended and we are now positioned in an unfortunate situation where talks remain delayed.
(Future measures in dealing with the North’s Nuclear Issue)
The Republic of Korea plans to utilize its inter-Korean dialogue channels to have North Korea clearly realize that nuclear weapons will not guarantee its regime stability, and will only worsen its political and economical isolation, eventually bringing harm to its own security. Through such persuading efforts, we will induce North Korea to return to the 6-party talks and give up its nuclear program.
Furthermore, the Republic of Korea will make its efforts to closely cooperate with relevant states so as to create a favorable condition for North Korea to advance in freezing and dismantling its nuclear program. Endeavors will also be taken to re-open the 6-party talks so that a substantial and peaceful resolution can be reached on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Having said this, I would like to take this opportunity to ask all participants and representatives of individual delegations present here today to recognize that a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue will not only be a cornerstone for security on the Korean Peninsula, but also another foundation for regional stability and world peace. Furthermore, I request that all nations in this region join together in urging North Korea to give up its nuclear program and return as a responsible member of the international community.
If the North Korean nuclear issue is successfully resolved through the 6-party talks, not only can it be recorded as a model case for multilateral security cooperation, but it can also be further expanded and gradually developed into a substantial multilateral regional security framework.
(Conclusion)
Distinguished participants!
Before I close, I would like to express my sincere hope that the Shangri-La Dialogue can provide a meaningful opportunity to discuss on not only how to solve the WMD challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region, but also on how to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, thus contributing to the acceleration of North Korea’s abandonment of its nuclear program.
Thank you very much for your attention.
