외교부

Distinguished guests,

President Kwaak Young-hoon of the UN Association of ROK,

Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Jun-seung of Busan Metropolitan City,

Asa Torkelsson, UNFPA Chief of the Seoul Representation Office,

and all friends of the United Nations gathered here this evening,

It is a great honor to join you in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the UN.

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the UN Association of ROK and the Busan Metropolitan Government for hosting this meaningful event.

Busan holds a very special place in the history of both Korea and the UN. It is the city that remembers the sacrifice and devotion of the UN forces during the Korean War, and the home of the world’s only UN Memorial Cemetery.

Over the past eight decades, the UN has advanced peace and prosperity through tireless efforts, preventing the recurrence of conflicts through peacekeeping operations, promoting human dignity through international human rights norms, and connecting peace with development through the Sustainable Development Goals.

Yet today, we face an era of renewed uncertainty.

Geopolitical conflicts are at their highest since the Second World War,and trust in multilateralism is being tested.

However, the UN remains the most inclusive and indispensable forum for dialogue and collective action.

We hope to see meaningful reforms and revitalization of the Organization so that the UN may once again become a center of global cooperation and solidarity.

Korea is living proof of how the UN’s ideals can take root and flourish.With the UN’s support, our nation rose from the ruins of war to achieve both industrialization and democracy. Korea’s modern history is, in many ways, the embodiment of the UN’s mission in action.

Today, Korea proudly serves as a member of the UN’s three principal bodies, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the Human Rights Council.

We are also among the top ten contributors to the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets, and more than 22,000 Korean troops have served in UN peacekeeping operations since 1993.From a recipient of aid to a provider of peace — this is the journey of Korea.

At the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, President Lee presented our vision of Korea as a Responsible Global Partner.

At the same time, our government has put forward the E.N.D. Initiative, which stands for Exchange, Normalization, and Denuclearization, as a pathway toward ending decades of confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.

Through dialogue, trust-building, and cooperation, we will work to open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity.

Tonight’s celebration is not only a tribute to the UN’s remarkable 80-year journey, but also an opportunity to envision the next 80 years of partnership and progress.

I hope this gathering will inspire us to renew our shared commitmentto the values of peace, human dignity, and sustainable development that the UN represents.

Next week, the APEC Summit in Gyeongju will carry this same spirit of cooperation forward, linking the UN’s vision of shared responsibility to Asia-Pacific’s agenda for sustainable growth.

May the light of Busan, once illuminated by the UN’s sacrifice, continue to shine as a beacon of hope for peace and solidarity in the world.

Thank you.