1. The government of the Republic of Korea will host the 30th Plenary Meeting of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in Busan, south of Seoul, from October 17 to 21.

2. The MTCR is an export control regime established in 1987 to control transfer of missile-related equipment, parts and technology and thereby to prevent missile proliferation. Thirty-five countries that possess or have the ability to build missiles are working as members of the MTCR, playing a pivotal role in the international efforts for missile non-proliferation.

° The ROK, having served at the MTCR for the past years after becoming its 33rd member in 2001 and chairing it in 2004, is currently working as its chair.

3. On October 19, First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam will deliver a special address, setting the tone for the MTCR Plenary Meeting in Busan.

° The Vice Minister will stress that it is important to thoroughly implement UN Security Council Resolution 2270 in order to resolve North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues, the biggest threat to the international non-proliferation regime; and will ask the MTCR member states to double their efforts to hinder North Korea’s attempts at procurement for its nuclear program.

4. At the forthcoming Plenary Meeting, the participants will discuss various ways for the MTCR to tighten export control in order to prevent international missile proliferation, including blocking North Korea’s procurement channels for missile-related items; as well as ways to reach out to non-members of MTCR and academic and industrial sectors in efforts to strengthen the MTCR.

5. The ROK, as the MTCR chair from its Busan Plenary Meeting till the one in 2017, will lead international efforts to strengthen the missile non-proliferation regime.


* unofficial translation