통일부 다시 대한민국! 새로운 국민의 나라

Distinguished Dr. Yoon Keum-jin,
Executive Vice President of the Korea Foundation,
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
As Vice Minister of Unification,
I am pleased to be with
promising scholars from home and abroad
for an international seminar
on peace and unification of the Korean peninsula.
 
The Junior Korean Unification Experts Fellowship (JKoEF)
has fostered a group of young Korean peninsula specialists
and helped strengthen
global support for peaceful unification of the two Koreas.
This year, the fellowship marks its fourth anniversary.
 
Distinguished guests!
 
The Park Geun-hye administration
has strived to bring sustainable peace onto the peninsula
and lay a firm foundation for Korean unification
through its consistent pursuit of the trust-building process.
 
The government has maintained solid security posture
and stood firm against Pyongyang’s provocation
to protect peace of the peninsula and build mutual confidence
in order to achieve our ultimate goal of peaceful unification.
At the same time, it has been active
in negotiation and cooperation with the North
when it saw the need.
 
Unfortunately,
North Korea poured cold water on our efforts of engagement
by conducting the fourth nuclear test
and launching long-range missiles
earlier this year.
 
Despite strong warning message and tough sanctions
of the international community,
North Korea proclaimed itself a nuclear armed state
and is continuing to stage provocations.
 
Pyongyang’s development
of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles
has now become a threat
that spreads beyond the Korean peninsula
and extends to the Northeast Asian region
and the entire world.
 
The international community has come up with
the toughest and most effective sanctions ever,
calling for Pyongyang, in one united voice,
to abandon its nuclear pursuit and change its attitude.
 
In a crisis, we recognize the opportunity.
This time, we are determined
to turn this crisis into an opportunity
to sever the vicious cycle of provocations followed by rewards
and establish a new order on the Korean peninsula.
Distinguished participants,
 
Pyongyang tries to turn the tide
by making empty offers of dialogue
instead of changing its attitude
in the face of firm resolution of the world.
 
For any future dialogue, however,
North Korea’s willingness for denuclearization,
expressed in real action,
should be an important prerequisite.
Because, in the past,
the North continued to advance its nuclear capabilities
even while negotiations for denuclearization were in place.
 
Distinguished guests,
 
the government is working in rock-solid cooperation
with the international community
to create an environment
where Pyongyang is compelled to realize
that without denuclearization, there is no future for its regime
and eventually take a different path.
 
In this regard, I believe it is extremely timely and meaningful
to convene young scholars from Korea and all over the world
to this seminar where we are set to discuss
how the world can work together for Korean unification
under such well-pointed themes as
“North Korean nuclear issues and international community’s responses”
and “Future of the Korean peninsula and the international order”.
 
I hope today’s discussion will pave the way
to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear arsenal,
grow out of isolationism
and achieve peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula.
 
Thank you for your attention. /END/