1. The Korean government welcomes the release of the second report submitted by the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on April 12, 2021, and expresses its deep concern over the finding that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Arab Air Force used chemical weapons in Saraqib on February 4, 2018.

2. As a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the Korean government holds the position that the use of chemical weapons cannot be tolerated under any circumstances and that it is important to identify and hold accountable those who have used chemical weapons.

3. The Korean government supports the OPCW’s efforts to conduct thorough investigations and will continue to closely cooperate with the international community to completely eliminate chemical weapons.