1. On February 28 afternoon (local time) in Geneva, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon addressed the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament (CD). He expressed the Republic of Korea’s strong condemnation of Russia’s armed invasion against Ukraine as a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, and emphasized that as a responsible member of the international community, the Korean government will actively participate in the international community’s efforts, including economic sanctions, to curb the armed invasion and resolve the situation peacefully.

※ The High-Level Segment is taking place in a hybrid format from February 28 to March 2, during which minister and vice minister-level officials of some 50 countries deliver remarks on global disarmament and nonproliferation issues.

2. The Vice Minister welcomed the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, issued on January 3, 2022, and urged these states to actively engage in direct bilateral and multilateral dialogues aimed at achieving substantive progress in nuclear disarmament and preventing arms races.

3. In addition, the Vice Minister Choi urged the DPRK to cease destabilizing actions such as recent missile launches, and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. He also called for the international community’s unwavering support for complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

4. Moreover, the Vice Minister Choi expressed the hope that all parties concerned will reach agreement on the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and faithfully comply with it, and thereby contribute to the promotion of regional peace and stability as well as the strengthening of the global nonproliferation regime.

5. The Vice Minister called on the international community to mobilize political will to break the long impasse at the CD, the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum.