1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Lassina Zerbo on August 13, and discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the CTBTO.

※ The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a treaty that prohibits all forms of nuclear explosive testing, was adopted in 1996.

- It has been signed by 183 countries and ratified by 166, as of August 2018.

- It has not entered into force, as 8 of 44 states whose ratification is required for the Treaty’s entry into force (North Korea, India, Pakistan, the US, China, Israel, Iran and Egypt) have not ratified it yet.

※ Executive Secretary Zerbo is on a visit to the ROK from August 9 till 14 to attend an academic conference.

2. Minister Kang took note that the CTBTO had played a role in addressing the North Korean nuclear issue, including by detecting nuclear tests, and asked for Executive Secretary Zerbo’s continued interest and support for efforts to completely denuclearize North Korea, and to establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

o Executive Secretary Zerbo took note of the ROK government’s efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and establish peace on the Peninsula, including the two inter-Korean summits, and said that the CTBTO would continue to support such efforts, and provide necessary support.

3. Executive Secretary Zerbo said that he had worked to create the international momentum for an early entry into force of the CTBT, and hoped that such efforts would lead to an early entry into force of the Treaty.

o Minister Kang said that the ROK, as an original signatory of the CTBT, would continue to join the international community’s efforts to bring the Treaty into force as soon as possible.

* unofficial translation