Keynote Speech
by H.E. Yun Byung-se
Minister of Foreign Affairs

2015 OSCE Asian Conference
Seoul, June 1, 2015

Minister Burkhalter,
Deputy-Prime Minister Tanasak (타나삭),
Chairman Žugic (주기치),
Ambassador Greminger (그레밍거),
Secretary-General Zannier (자니에르),
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

For Europe and for Korea, this is a year of significant milestones. It marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War; the 25th anniversary of German reunification, as well as the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act, especially relevant for the OSCE. As for Koreans, not only does this year mark the 70th anniversary of our liberation, but also the division of the Korean peninsula.

So, this would be a good juncture for us to reflect on the past and to strengthen our resolve to build a more peaceful, secure and prosperous future. However, it is also true that at present, both Europe and East Asia are facing some daunting challenges and new kinds of threats, which are more serious than ever since the end of the Cold War.
Looking west, we see Europe dealing with a fundamental geopolitical challenge to its post-war order and stability in the aftermath of events in Ukraine. Fortunately, the OSCE has rolled up its sleeves, dispatching a Special Monitoring Mission, and keeping an eye on the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Looking east, to my part of the world, we can see a region fraught with multiple problems, both old and new. North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats continue to destabilize the region. We have tensions on the skies, the seas, land and cyberspace, not to mention history issues. In part, this is due to the different dreams and visions of regional countries: the U.S. rebalance to Asia, China’s rise and its new security concept, Russia’s Look East policy, Japan’s policy to unshackle itself from the bondage of the Second World War – and more than anything else, North Korea’s anachronistic pursuit of nuclear weapons. The recent developments in the South China Sea are now taking a dangerous course. In short, we are seeing a divergence, rather than a convergence, of these visions. This reminds us of Dr. Kissinger’s stark warning in Munich last year, that “Asia is more in a position of 19th century Europe, where military conflict is not ruled out.”

So, in a sense, what we see at both the eastern and the western ends of the Eurasian continent looks like a fragile, rather than a durable, peace.

Moreover, it is not just regional security issues that are fueling instability and uncertainty. The global issues we are grappling with are complex, and often intertwined with each other: foreign terrorist fighters, violent extremism, cyber threats, epidemic outbreaks, maritime refugees, and climate change. All these are non-traditional, trans-national threats that affect us all. Like Dr. Brzezinski said, quote, “we’re seeing the kind of world in which there is enormous turmoil and fragmentation and uncertainty, not a single central threat to everybody, but a lot of diversified threats to almost everybody,” unquote.

However, for us, this gloomy outlook actually means that there is a wide scope for cooperation. In facing these challenges, Europe and Asia can work together by sharing experiences and engaging in cross-regional dialogue. Today’s 2015 OSCE Asian Conference is the perfect venue for this, and I would like to welcome all participants, including Minister Burkhalter, Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak, Secretary-General Zannier to this great gathering.

Ladies and gentlemen,

From the outset, my government allowed for a great transformation, a tectonic shift in the international landscape. In my speech at Chatham House last December, I referred to the multiple challenges Korea is facing on the Korean peninsula, in the region, and around the world, as our “triple waves.”

So, how are these challenges unfolding, and how can Korea – indeed, Asia – and the OSCE work together to meet them? I wish to elaborate on three dimensions.

First, is collaboration on vision and grand strategy. Europe’s vision and strategy for building a new Europe has inspired other regions to follow suit. Europe’s visionaries planned a new regional order, and brought forward creative strategies which built up trust, step-by-step.

It is true that there are differences in Europe’s and East Asia’s security landscapes. Nevertheless, I believe that the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept can be tailored to fit the realities of the Korean peninsula, Northeast Asia and East Asia as a whole.

On the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia, North Korea’s nuclear conundrum is the most critical issue. This is an integral part of the wider North Korean problem – which also encompasses North Korea’s economic plight and its human rights issue. So, it is imperative that we take a holistic approach and look at North Korea not only in terms of security, but also the economy and human rights. Indeed, there can be no enduring peace and stability without respect for human rights.

Moreover, when we look at the region’s tensions, we can see that at their heart lies the “Asia Paradox”. This means that the region’s economic interdependence has to be dovetailed by the progress in its security and history issues.

In this regard, the proposals my President made towards North Korea last year – the agenda for humanity, the agenda for co-prosperity and the agenda for integration – together with our ongoing agenda for peace, through North Korea’s denuclearization – can be understood as a Korean version of the OSCE’s comprehensive approach.

In East Asia, the region’s countries are simultaneously engaged in two major trends. On the security side, there are efforts for regional confidence building measures and security architecture through the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit. On the economic side, regional integration is moving apace through bilateral and regional FTAs, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Regional Comprehensive Partnership and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.

All of these are movements towards enhancing connectivity throughout the region. In Europe, the OSCE made crucial contributions in making Europe whole and free, and now has the greater vision of a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian Security Community, from “Vancouver to Vladivostok.” In a similar vein, we believe that realizing our cherished vision of a unified Korea, whole and free, can be an important catalyst in connecting Eurasia.

Second, is collaboration on the modalities. The OSCE’s success in building trust through confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) has important lessons for Northeast Asia. In the middle of deepening “Asia Paradox,” this part of the world lacks trust, as well as a regional multilateral mechanism. Indeed, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out last November at the East Asia Summit, this region represents a crucial missing link in the UN’s network of regional partnerships.

Against this backdrop, my government has been working on the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, or NAPCI. NAPCI was inspired by the OSCE’s experiences, and there are many fields where NAPCI and the OSCE can work together. I know you will be discussing this topic in detail this afternoon, and I believe nuclear safety could be one useful area. We have been working on the Northeast Asia Nuclear Safety Consultative Body as part of NAPCI’s efforts. Nuclear safety is an issue with relevance to issues such as energy security, disaster management and cyber security. Cooperation in this field could have spill-over and multiplier effects. Europe has the capabilities and experiences to offer advice and more for Northeast Asia.

Yet, multilateral mechanisms are crucial, but not sufficient in upturning this region’s trust deficit. What we should aim for is a virtuous cycle between bilateral and minilateral cooperation. In particular, this year we celebrate 50 years of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Korea and Japan. As we also mark the 70th anniversary of the Second World War, this is a golden opportunity for East Asia to heal the wounds of the past and move on to the future.

In this regard, we could take a leaf from Europe. European cooperation and reconciliation was made possible by those responsible for past wrongdoings making a clean break with the past and acting responsibly in the present.

In a similar vein, in Northeast Asia, Korea, Japan and China have been engaging in trilateral dialogue. Last march, Korea led the resumption of the trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting after a hibernation of three years. We will continue our efforts so that the Korea-Japan-China trilateral cooperation mechanism, including the summit, will stand on a secure footing, and become fully resuscitated.

Last, is collaboration on trans-national and global issues. We can see events in Europe and Asia unfold as if they were mirror images. This means that more than ever, cooperation between the two regions is essential. In the Mediterranean and in the Andaman Sea, both are grappling with the safety of maritime refugees or migrants. This is not a stand-alone issue, but interconnected with maritime security, human trafficking and the protection of human rights as well.

East Asian countries can tap into the OSCE’s ample experience in CBMs and preventive diplomacy in coping with one of the toughest shells to crack – namely, the South China Sea disputes. At present, the ASEAN Regional Forum is still in the confidence building measure stage, and is envisioning of moving to the next stage, of preventive diplomacy, in the immediate future. As such, the recent developments in the South China Sea present the most serious challenge in its road ahead. I think that this can be an important area where Asia can learn from European cooperation in confidence building and preventive diplomacy.

Moreover, no single country – or even, no single region – can go it alone on terrorism, violent extremism, epidemics such as Ebola, cyber threats and climate change. On transnational and global issues, the OSCE has been reaching out to partners. So, I truly hope that East Asia and the OSCE will work closer together in the days to come.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The meeting’s logo uses a traditional Korean motif, to symbolize that Europe and Asia are “under the same roof” – interconnected and interdependent on each other for security. So, as we commemorate 40 years of the adoption of Helsinki Final Act, strengthening the collaboration between the OSCE and Asia, addressing common challenges, and working together to enhance the security environment in East Asia would be a meaningful achievement.

Back in the 1940s and 50s, when Winston Churchill floated the idea of a United States of Europe and Robert Schuman led the formation of the ECSC, the European project was still an idea ahead of its time. In the 1970s, at the time of the CSCE’s birth, Europe, whole and free, was still a vision, rather than the reality.

Likewise, what we are hoping for in East Asia is not an impossible dream. Indeed, I believe that such a vision can be realized in East Asia too. And with such hopes, we are working to build a new Korea, a new Asia, and a new world. I hope that the OSCE, as well as each and every one of you here today, will be our partners in this journey. Thank you very much. /끝/