Security Council Thematic Meeting on
Denuclearization of the DPRK
April 28, 2017

Mr. President,
Secretary-General Guterres,
Distinguished Ministers and representatives,

Let me join others in thanking Secretary Tillerson for convening this very timely meeting and Secretary-General Guterres for his comprehensive briefing. This ministerial meeting of the Security Council, the first-ever on the denuclearization of North Korea, demonstrates the sense of gravity and urgency shared by all members of the international community.

North Korea is now at the final stage of nuclear weaponization and claims to be a “nuclear weapon state,” as it has declared in its amended constitution.

Since the first North Korean nuclear crisis a quarter century ago, North Korea has made huge advancements in all areas of its nuclear weapons and missile programs through five nuclear tests and numerous missile launches. We have witnessed:
- An exponential growth in its nuclear weapons capabilities from what used to be a few kilograms of plutonium back in 1992 to significant nuclear arsenal now;
- A rapid development of ballistic missiles of all types and ranges that now threaten to reach every corner of the world;
- Andits willingness to actually use WMDs, as was manifested in the assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother with a chemical weapon.

In a nutshell,North Korea’s WMD capability, coupled with the intent to actually use them, bring us ever so closer to the tipping point. It is no wonder that some experts say the world is facing its greatest nuclear emergency since the Cuban missile crisis.

A nuclear-armed North Korea will significantly disrupt the security landscape in Northeast Asia and the world. It will also deal a fatal blow to the global nonproliferation regime based on the NPT, and increase the risk of North Korean nuclear material or related technology falling into the hands of terrorists. In order to avoid this nightmarish scenario, we must act now. We are racing against time.

So, what should be our response? Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary responses. A pundit once said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” What we need is a new approach led by the Security Council, not allowing North Korea to dictate the agenda and timeline.

Security Council resolutions 2270 and 2321 are milestone measures that illustrate such a new approach. Based on these most comprehensive and robust resolutions, the international community has built and solidified a united front against North Korea over the past year. For its part, my government also took a series of unilateral measures in line with the Council’s efforts.

We are seeing evidences that sanctions are biting, by cutting off North Korea’s hard currency income, deepening Pyongyang’s diplomatic isolation and blocking its illicit activities on all fronts. The international community must sustain efforts to thoroughly implement these resolutions.

Moreover, the Security Council must discuss additional punitive measures to take against future provocations proactively, not reactively, as was the case up till now. The Council has repeatedly warned that it will take “further significant measures, including sanctions” in the case of future provocations. But Pyongyang may still harbor the illusion that the Security Council will only take limited action and that it can disregard and ridicule the authority of the UN.

In order to change such strategic calculus of Pyongyang and induce changes from within, we could take potent measures such as:
- Halting the export and supply of crude oil to North Korea;
- Completely cutting off North Korea’s hard currency earnings by, for instance, suspending all imports of coal from North Korea;
- And seriously considering whether North Korea, a serial offender, is qualified as a member of the UN, as well as downgrading diplomatic relations with North Korea.

Let me be clear: our goal is not to bring North Korea to its knees but to bring it back to the negotiating table for genuine denuclearization. We must be clear-eyed about Pyongyang’s intent: it is not interested in negotiating for denuclearization. Instead, its game plan is to be recognized as a nuclear weapon state and to negotiate nuclear disarmament as such. Just last week, the North Korean Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN himself made clear that any denuclearization talks are a non-starter.

Under these circumstances, dialogue for the sake of dialogue cannot be an option. If history teaches us anything, it is that we must not repeat the tried-and-failed approach. Over the past twenty-some years, we have left no stone unturned. Yet countless negotiations and agreements with this rule-breaker par excellence have led us nowhere but back to square one due to North Korea’s renege and deception. They have only bought time for the regime to advance its WMD capabilities. We must break this vicious cycle of provocations – negotiations – provocations andof rewarding North Korea’s bad behavior once and for all.

Our goal is not to compromise on half-measures for bogus peace. Our goal is the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of the North Korean nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Finally, in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue, we must not lose sight of another serious threat emanating from North Korea’s chemical and biological weapons programs. Security Council resolution 2270 decided that North Korea shall abandon all chemical and biological weapons and weapons-related programs. In this regard, I welcome the joint letter by Secretary-General Guterres and Director-General Uzumcu of the OPCW calling upon North Korea to accede to the CWC.

Mr. President,

History tells us how in the first half of the 20th century, the failure to counter Nazi ambitions led to the outbreak of the Second World War. If we do not respond to North Korea’s repeated provocations in a resolute manner now, we will only further feed the appetite of the trigger-happy regime in Pyongyang. In this regard, should North Korea conduct a sixth nuclear test or launch an ICBM, it will be a game-changer for all of us.

This is why it is critical that this time, the entire international community continue to maintain the unprecedented unified front against North Korea. This is the last opportunity to break and reverse the process. The heavy responsibility is incumbent on all of us.

With regard to the deployment of the THAAD battery system in the Republic of Korea, it is purely a defensive measure against the existential threat from North Korea to our countryand isnot aiming at any thirdcountry. Furthermore, the legitimate annual US-ROKmilitary exercise isatransparent and defensive exercise which cannot be put on par with North Korea’s breach of obligations under Security Council resolutions.

Mr. President,

As this is my last appearance in the Security Council, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for the unflinching support members of the Security Council have rendered to me and my government over the past four years in confronting North Korea’s nuclear and missile challenges. I assure you that the Republic of Korea will continue to be a stalwart partner in the Council’s efforts to safeguard international peace and security. /End/