열린장관실

 

Speech by H. E. Yoon Young-kwan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

of the Republic of Korea

at Luncheon Hosted by the Diplomatic Corps

 

"The North Korean Nuclear Issue and the

 Current Status of the Inter-Korean Peace Process"

 

                                                                                                           December 4, 2003

                                            

   

Ambassador Miguel Duran Ordonez, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

(Opening Remarks)

 

    It is indeed a great honor and pleasure for me to speak before the distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps. Taking this opportunity, I would also like to express my sincere thanks to all of you for the valuable role you are playing in promoting the relations between your countries and Korea.  

 

    I also very much hope that you are enjoying your life in Korea and that your time here will be pleasant for you and your families.

 

    I am sure you would all agree that Korea is a country with a unique ability to translate challenges into opportunities. The current government, under the leadership of President Roh Moo-hyun, has been pushing ahead with bold structural reform in order to put Korea on solid ground to achieve a full-fledged democracy and truly advanced economy.

 

    This process will inevitably entail sweat and tears and we will face a certain degree of uncertainty as we travel this journey. However, I strongly believe that President Roh"s commitment to reform will prove to be a success, not only because Korea badly needs it but also because his endeavors will ultimately be understood and supported by the Korean people.

 

    We also face challenges in our foreign policy such as the North Korean nuclear issue, Iraq issues, and the promotion of FTAs. We will make headway in our efforts to address all of these issues. Moreover, I believe these challenges will provide us with a great window of opportunity to further strengthen our diplomatic capabilities and advance our national interests, thereby contributing also to the good of the international community.

 

    Today, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on the North Korean nuclear issue and current developments in inter-Korean relations.

 

(The North Korean Nuclear Issue)

 

    As you have been closely observing, the diplomacy for the early and successful holding of the second round of the Six-Party Talks is in full gear. All the participating countries are now making utmost efforts to come up with their own ideas and coordinate with each other on these. We are at a crucial stage in that all the participants know what is at issue and are trying hard to narrow their differences.

 

    South Korea, the US, Japan, China and Russia are working closely together on what we may be able to agree upon as a result of the second round of the Talks, including how to provide a security assurance for North Korea in return for the abandonment of its nuclear weapons program.

 

    I have to ask you to understand that I am not in a position to elaborate on the details of what is now under negotiation. But I can tell you that each participant country is making sincere and patient efforts with a firm conviction that this issue should be resolved peacefully through diplomatic means.

 

    I am especially glad that all the parties concerned share my firm belief that diplomacy should be given a full chance for this issue to be resolved. However, we should not be overly optimistic about the prospects for the Talks. We face difficult and complicated issues that will require long and patient negotiations. The first round of the Six-Party Talks has shown that the Talks are the most effective and practicable vehicle to resolve the nuclear issue. It is our earnest hope that the Six-Party Talks process will prove to be a milestone on the road to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

 

    The significance of resolving the nuclear problem extends beyond the Korean Peninsula in that it has an indispensable role to play in shaping the security environment in Northeast Asia as a whole. Needless to say, a Northeast Asia free of security threats is a prerequisite for lasting peace and prosperity in this region.

 

    To keep the momentum for dialogue alive and resolve the nuclear issue peacefully, the ROK government will strengthen its close coordination with the US and Japan, as well as cooperation with China and Russia, with the support of the entire international community.

 

    There has been some skepticism expressed over the current approach of dialogue and negotiations to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Citing North Korea"s track record of not honoring agreements, some people argue that North Korea is not trustworthy and that it will never abandon the nuclear option. Others conjecture that the North Korean leadership"s overriding obsession with its regime survival has discouraged them from seeking reform in good faith, or  even that regime change is preferable to a negotiated solution with North Korea.

 

 

    However, I do not agree with these arguments. As for the first one, if the Six-Party Talks can come up with a comprehensive solution encompassing the security, economic and diplomatic dimensions to this issue, North Korea will feel secure enough to give up its nuclear ambitions.

 

    My argument against the assertion that North Korea is not to be trusted is that North Korea will risk further isolation by losing the trust of the entire international community, not to mention that of the participating countries in the Six-Party Talks, if it repeats its past behavior. I think North Korea is well aware of that risk.

 

    Regarding the doubts over the prospects for reform and change in North Korea, I think the experiences of South Korea, Vietnam and China may provide an answer. North Korea may be able to take a similar path of mixing political control and the growth-oriented economic policy based on market principle.

 

    Given the isolation of North Korea that has persisted over the past five decades or so, it seems difficult for North Korea to change overnight. Yet, there are signs of positive new developments in North Korea. Although still at an early stage, markets are on the rise in North Korea. In addition, a number of more pragmatic and reform-oriented technocrats have assumed prominent positions in the North Korean leadership. History tells us that, with the door to change now starting to open, it would be almost impossible to reverse such a trend of reform.

 

    We need to assure the North Korean leadership that reform and change will eventually benefit them. Securing an environment where North Korea can feel safe to pursue reform without fear is also vital.

 

    On the question of whether the pursuit of regime change rather than a negotiated solution may be preferable, I am firmly opposed to such an idea. Such an option would make North Korea even more desperate and cause it to cling to its nuclear option as a last resort.

 

(The Inter-Korean Peace Process)

 

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

    Now, please allow me to turn to the inter-Korean peace process.

 

    The bedrock of the ROK government's policy towards North Korea is the Policy for Peace and Prosperity. This Policy is based on the premise that politics and economics are inseparable. It views the unstable North Korean economy as one of the major sources of instability on the Korean Peninsula.

 

    The Policy, therefore, intends to engage North Korea, thereby inducing North Korea"s interdependence with its neighbors and the outside world.

 

    With this aim, we have helped North Korea to improve its relations with our friends. We have also provided them with assistance in the form of food and other commodities on humanitarian grounds.

 

    South and North Korea have continued with the inter-Korean dialogue process at various levels. Most notably, they have held 12 rounds of Ministerial Talks and 7 rounds of Economic Cooperation Promotion Committee Meetings since the historic Inter-Korean Summit of June 2000. This is quite a remarkable achievement in that the momentum for dialogue has been sustained despite the nuclear issue. I also believe that the inter-Korean dialogue has played a positive role in facilitating the Six-Party Talks process.

 

    Once the nuclear issue is resolved, there will be a stronger basis for the further deepening of cooperation between South and North Korea. The shared interests rooted in these firm cooperative ties will serve to secure durable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

 

    I believe we all agree that peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is a prerequisite for peace and prosperity in the entire Northeast Asian region. The success of our Policy will, therefore, benefit not only the Korean Peninsula but the entire Northeast Asian region and beyond.

 

    What is more, economic cooperation, shared prosperity and enhanced peace in this region will in turn create an environment conducive to finding a solution to security issues on the Korean Peninsula. In other words, the peace and prosperity of this region and that of the Korean Peninsula are inseparably linked, creating a synergy.

 

    In keeping with progress in the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, the ROK government hopes for enhanced multilateral security cooperation in Northeast Asia. In this regard, I believe the Six-Party Talks may present an unprecedented path forward to multilateral security arrangements in Northeast Asia once the challenge of the North Korean nuclear issue is peacefully resolved.

 

    We are grateful to the international community for their steadfast support for the Policy for Peace and Prosperity and look forward to continued cooperation from you and your countries.

 

    May I close by taking this opportunity to express once again my deep appreciation for your efforts to further strengthen ties between Korea and your countries and by wishing you all the best in your noble endeavors. Thank you very much for your attention. (End)