(As delivered)

Thank you very much Director Niblett for that very generous introduction. I am here for the first time, but it is truly an honor to be here in this august space of great tradition, a place where great minds have gathered on behalf of peace and prosperity around the world, so it’s truly an honor to be here.

I am a little bit under the weather; I think that the job of foreign minister requires you to travel to various places regardless of your preference for weather or climate. I was in India and Singapore with my President last week. and that meant hot-cold, hot-cold, hot-cold for a couple of days, and as a result I have this cold which is a bit disruptive of my voice, with a runny nose. So I will speak a bit slower than my usual tone but I am hoping that this will still get through to you.

Director Niblett, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me begin by thanking Director Niblett and Chatham House for giving me this opportunity to discuss the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula with the distinguished audience this morning. I am indeed delighted to have this exchange of views with you on the diplomatic efforts of my government to bring about complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

Admittedly, a very tall order, given the difficult history of the North Korean nuclear issue and decades of military tension that have defined relations on the Korean Peninsula. But we have a historic opportunity to achieve this, and we are endeavoring to strengthen the momentum for dialogue toward our goal, based on air-tight coordination with our ally the United States, and close consultations with Japan as well as China and Russia. And we have enjoyed the fullest support of the United Kingdom and other key players in the international community in this endeavor, as reaffirmed in my meeting with the new Foreign Secretary Mr. Jeremy Hunt yesterday. Let me give you a brief background and update on the developments on the Peninsula during the past year, and then I’ll be very happy to take your questions and comments.

I think we can say that the Korean Peninsula has been at the center of global attention, but never so intensely as in the recent months. In the past, the news was usually about North Korea’s nuclear or missiles provocations in defiance of the will of the international community.  But this year, the news has been about the start of dialogue to resolve the issue and about inter-Korean reconciliation. 

The year began with North Korea responding to our repeated call to revive dialogue and to come to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Its participation in these Games in February and March was turned into an opportunity for high-level strategic dialogue between South and North Korea, and this then led to the first inter-Korean summit in eleven years, on April 27th at the Peace House of Panmunjeom. 

Another summit followed barely a month later, easing the way towards the first-ever U.S-North Korea summit, which took place on June 12th in Singapore. Since then, there have been a series of inter-Korean talks to follow-up on the Panmunjeom Declaration, as well as the start of negotiations between the United States and North Korea to implement the broad agreement reached in Singapore.

These developments would have been unimaginable as late as November last year, as the world watched with growing alarm over North Korea’s repeated nuclear and missiles provocations.  The change in less than 10 months seems dramatic, but it is in fact the fruits of strategic thinking and much hard work that has characterized the government of President Moon Jae-in since day one in office. 

Upon assuming office in May last year, President Moon Jae-in has put  achieving lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula at the top of his foreign policy agenda. He made it clear that we seek peace with the North, and not its collapse or sudden unification. And shortly thereafter in July, while in Berlin for the G20 Summit, he elaborated this vision in his “Berlin Initiative”, whereby South and North Korea would live together in peace and co-prosperity, free from the threat of nuclear weapons and war. And since then, we have been steady and unwavering in our endeavors to realize this vision with the support of the neighboring countries and the international community. The three parts to this vision are as follows. 

First, the Korean Peninsula must be freed from the threat of nuclear weapons. The threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile development must be eliminated once and for all. And this must be achieved through peaceful, diplomatic means, backed up by the solid combined defense posture of the ROK-US alliance. Our goal, and indeed that of the entire international community, is the complete denuclearization of North Korea. 

And on this point, our message to the North, in close coordination with the US, has been a combination of pressure on the one hand with the offer of talks on the other. Its repeated provocations as it sought to advance its nuclear and missiles programs last year were met with further pressure and sanctions, as embodied in the series of UN Security Council sanctions resolutions. The international community has acted in unity in implementing the sanctions and making clear to North Korea that its nuclear ambition is just not acceptable. But we have also offered dialogue to resolve the situation, and to start charting a course towards a better, more prosperous future for North Korea.   

Second, we must establish lasting peace. Permanent peace has yet to be established on the Korean Peninsula. The Armistice signed in July 1953 after three years of devastation has left the two Koreas technically still at war. The 65 years since then have seen a few periods of dialogue and reconciliation between the two sides, but have been mostly characterized by military tension and mutual hostility.  North Korea’s nuclear and missiles development, the pace of which have quickened in recent years, greatly added to the tension and posed a grave security challenge for the whole world. Thus, for lasting peace, we must work, not only to denuclearize North Korea, but also to replace the Armistice with a peace treaty that will define the legal parameters of peaceful coexistence between South and North Korea.

Third, with complete denuclearization and South-North peaceful coexistence, the doors will open to development and economic cooperation with North Korea. North Korea would be brought into the fold of co-prospering countries in East Asia, and the Korean Peninsula would become the bridge that links the Eurasian continent to the north and South East Asia to the south. The positive dynamics this would create for peace and prosperity in the region and the world would be enormous.

In pursuit of this vision, we have engaged in proactive diplomatic endeavors, led by President Moon himself, to secure the political will and agreement of the top leaders of the key countries, most notably the United States and North Korea, but also of Japan, China and Russia, and to win the support of key players in the international community. The two inter-Korean summits in April and May, and the first-ever US-North Korea summit in June were the culmination of these efforts. 

In the outcome of these summits, the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Sentosa Statement, President Moon and Chairman Kim Jong-un, and President Trump and the Chairman Kim respectively, committed to work for the establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and to achieve complete denuclearization.

Furthermore, in the Panmunjeom Declaration, South and North Korea agreed to sustain dialogue and promote inter-Korean cooperation in various fields, including military tension reduction, rail and road connections, forestry, sports, and family reunions. The two sides also agreed to declare the end of the Korean War, and to seek 3-way or 4-way talks for the start of negotiations towards a permanent peace regime.

In the Sentosa Statement, the United States and North Korea reaffirmed the Panmunjeom Declaration, committed to overcome the decades of hostilities between the two sides and to work towards a new relationship, and to start the recovery and return of American POW/MIA remains from North Korea. And most importantly, North Korea reiterated its commitment to complete denuclearization, and the US pledged to provide North Korea with security guarantees.  

The US-North Korea track to implement the Sentosa Statement began with Secretary Pompeo’s 3rd visit to Pyongyang earlier this month. And this has been followed with further talks for the POW/MIA remains, and working level negotiations on denuclearization and security guarantees are expected to take place soon.

The South-North Korea dialogue to implement the Panmunjeom Declaration has been active on several fronts, with some concrete results already. The military communication line along the western sea coast has been reconnected, and further talks are expected on steps to reduce military tension. Red-cross talks have led to preparations for a family reunion event in late August. And work is underway to open a South-North joint liaison office. Sports talks and exchanges are also taking place.

In these processes, the ROK-US coordination remains vital to ensure that the two tracks move in complementarity. We are well aware that the pace of improvements in inter-Korean relations is contingent upon progress on the denuclearization track. And we remain firm that the Security Council sanctions placed upon North Korea for its nuclear and missiles provocations will remain in place and be faithfully implemented until we are assured of its complete denuclearization.  This will take time, focus and unity of purpose among all who share the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization. In the meanwhile, my government is fully abiding by the sanctions regime in engaging with the North, seeking waivers where necessary and ensuring that the cooperation projects do not translate into economic benefits for the North.

And as we move forward, we count on the abiding support of our close friends. The United Kingdom, in particular, as a permanent member of the Security Council, share a special responsibility in ensuring the effectiveness of the sanctions and promoting dialogue to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as confirmed in Panmunjeom Declaration and Sentosa Statement. As a special friend of South Korea, who had sent its troops to fight with us during the Korean War nearly seven decades ago, the United Kingdom shares our aspiration to achieve lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, which must surely be the best reward for the sacrifice in so many lives it paid then.

The Korea-UK ties have grown deeper and wider since then. With the support and encouragement of the United Kingdom and other like-minded countries, Korea has become a vibrant democracy and thriving market economy that shares the same values with the United Kingdom. Our two countries have become vital trading partners and like-minded voices in global fora. The United Kingdom is our 2nd largest trading partner in the European Union.

So we are obviously closely following the Brexit developments, and working together with our UK counterparts to ensure that the bilateral trade and investment ties will continue to thrive in the post-Brexit era.  My meeting with Secretary Hunt yesterday was very timely and useful in this regard, and I very much look forward to forging a very good working relationship with him.

So let me end there. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to the conversation. Thank you.