1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is participating in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, attended the UN Security Council High-level Meeting on Small Arms on September 26. The meeting, presided over by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop of Australia, the Security Council chair for September, brought together UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and high-level representatives from 15 Security Council members. The participants discussed the Security Council’s role in dealing with the impact of illegal transactions in small arms on world peace and security and adopted the Security Council resolution 2117.

o There are many cases where small arms are illegally traded and used in connection with drug transactions and organized crimes. Small arms, if accumulated in large quantities, can destabilize the security situation.

2. In his remarks to the meeting, Minister Yun expressed concerns that the illegal transfer, excessive accumulation and abuse of small arms have a negative impact on world peace and security. Explaining the ROK government’s basic position of contributing to global efforts to secure world peace and protect future generations from such problem, Minister Yun proposed ways to strengthen the Security Council’s role in addressing the issue of illegal trade in small arms. The Minister also stressed that the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) adopted in April needs to take into effect as soon as possible.

o Furthermore, Minister Yun explained that as part of efforts to combat illegal trade in conventional weapons including small arms, the ROK, together with Australia, has presented the “Resolution on Preventing and Combating Illicit Brokering Activities” at the UN General Assembly since 2008.

o Considering that the illegal transfer and spread of small arms have a significant impact on the Security Council’s activities, Minister Yun proposed the following measures to resolve the problem.

- Enhancing the effectiveness of the implementation of the Security Council’s arms embargoes and providing more support to each country
- Improving the UN’s programs on peace-building and security capability-building to strengthen the protection of civilians in armed conflict (especially, women and children)
- Promoting coordination and information sharing between relevant agencies within the UN
- Devising follow-up measures after a report by the UN Secretary-General is released

3. The Security Council High-Level Meeting served to facilitate the Council’s discussions on small arms, which have not been held for more than five years since April, 2008 as well as strengthen the Security Council’s responsibility and role. In particular, the resolution 2117 holds significance in that it is the first resolution on small arms adopted by the Security Council.

4. The ROK will continue to actively participate in global efforts to combat illegal transactions in conventional weapons including small arms. 


                   Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation