At the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, the world’s only multilateral disarmament consultative body, major member countries, including South Korea, criticized North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development as a serious security challenge. He also repeatedly urged North Korea to take concrete steps toward denuclearization. Reporter Jo Sang-jin reports.
At the second day of the high-level session of the Disarmament Conference held at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the South Korean government strongly criticized the nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.
[녹취: 박용민 조정관] “The DPRK’s nuclear and missile threat continues to be the most urgent security challenge we face. Since the beginning of 2022, the DPRK’s provocative behaviour showed unprecedented frequency and intensity with the launch of more than 70 ballistic missiles including its ICBM on February 18th and two ballistic missiles of February 20th in flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.”
“North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are the most urgent security challenges we face,” said Park Yong-min, director-general for multilateral foreign affairs at the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a video address at the meeting.
He pointed out that North Korea launched more than 70 ballistic missiles since the beginning of last year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the 18th and two ballistic missiles on the 20th, in clear violation of a number of UN Security Council resolutions. I did.
In particular, he criticized North Korea’s continued efforts to build up nuclear force, saying, “North Korea has legislated a new nuclear force policy that significantly lowers the threshold for nuclear weapons use and even threatened the preemptive use of tactical nuclear weapons.”
[녹취: 박용민 조정관] “As the only country in the 21st century that has conducted nuclear tests. The DPRK seemed all but ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test which is in defiance of the CTBT. The treaty this very conference negotiated. This not only poses a direct threat to peace and security. It also critically undermines the fundamental credibility of the international non-proliferation regime at large.”
Park said North Korea, the only country in the 21st century to have tested a nuclear weapon, appears to be almost ready to conduct a seventh nuclear test in defiance of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiated by the United Nations Conference on Disarmament.
“This not only poses a direct threat to peace and security, but also seriously undermines fundamental trust in the international non-proliferation regime,” he said.
He then urged North Korea to come out as a forum for dialogue while discussing the “Bold Idea,” a roadmap for North Korea’s denuclearization that the South Korean government Seok-Yeol Yoon had proposed from the beginning of its inauguration.
[녹취: 박용민 조정관] “We urged the DPRK to immediately return to dialogue and respond positively to our audacious initiative, which proposes corresponding economic political and military measures once the DPRK embarks on a genuine and substantive process for denuclearization. It is evident that what we now need is a unified stern and unequivocal message urging the DPRK to choose the right path.”
Park said, “We believe that North Korea will immediately return to dialogue and respond positively to the ‘bold idea’ that proposes taking corresponding economic, political and military measures once North Korea embarks on a sincere and substantive process for denuclearization. urged it,” he said.
“What we need now is to force North Korea to choose the right path with a firm, clear and unified voice,” he said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa also mentioned North Korea’s threat in a video speech that day, saying that the security environment surrounding Japan in the Pacific region is rapidly deteriorating, and that military power buildup, especially nuclear weapons and missiles, is progressing in an opaque way.
[녹취: 하야시 외무상] “North Korea has intensified nuclear and missile activities including its recent ballistic missile launches with an unprecedented frequency and in an unprecedented manner. In addition to its escalatory rhetoric on the use of nuclear weapons. Such activities pose a serious challenge to the international community.”
“North Korea is intensifying its nuclear and missile activities with unprecedented frequency and in a manner, including the recent launch of ballistic missiles,” Foreign Minister Hayashi said. ” he pointed out.
“Japan reiterates its strong commitment to complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges,” it said.
[녹취: 하야시 외무상] “And Japan reiterates its strong commitment to the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges. Japan urges North Korea to abide by all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and return at an early date to full compliance with the NPT and IAEA safeguard.”
“Japan urges North Korea to abide by all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and fully comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards at an early date,” he stressed. I did.
Italy, a European country, also made it clear that it was resolutely opposed to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development.
[녹취: 안토니오 타자니 외무장관] “We firmly condemned ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. North Korea should refrain from provocation and take concrete steps towards a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.”
“We categorically condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile launch,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tazzani said in a video speech. It is.
Italy is fully committed to effective and verifiable nuclear disarmament and strives for a peaceful and secure world free of nuclear weapons, and urges all parties to sign, ratify and actively implement the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Australia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tim Watts, one of the major countries in the Indo-Pacific region, also expressed concern about the threat North Korea’s ballistic missile launches pose to regional security at a meeting that was sped up that afternoon.
[녹취: 와츠 차관보] “In our region, the Indo-Pacific, the DPRK’s continued missile launches in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions show a blatant disregard for international rules and norms, and pose a grave threat to international peace and security. We urge the DPRK to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and resume dialogue with the United States and Republic of Korea. We are also deeply concerned by the opaque nuclear arsenal build-up occurring in our region which serves to highlight the pressing need for action on arms control and disarmament.”
“North Korea’s continued missile launches in our region, the Indo-Pacific, in violation of a number of UN Security Council resolutions constitute a blatant disregard for international rules and norms and pose a grave threat to international peace and security,” Watts said. .
“We urge North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and resume dialogue with the United States and South Korea,” he said.
“We are also deeply concerned about the opaque build-up of nuclear weapons in the region, which underscores the need for urgent action on arms control and disarmament,” he added.
While the high-level session of the United Nations Disarmament Conference continues until March 2, North Korea plans to exercise its right of reply on the afternoon of the 2nd.
The UN Conference on Disarmament of 65 member states, including North Korea, is a consultative body that discusses issues such as disarmament, international security, and trust-building for weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear and chemical weapons and conventional weapons. This is a forum.
This is VOA News Cho Sang-jin.
