CHO TAE-YUL, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, noted that the year 2024 has sadly earned the distinction of being the most conflict-ridden since the Second World War.  Two billion people, or roughly one in four, reside in conflict zones; 310 million people require humanitarian assistance; and more than 120 million, or one in 70, are refugees.  There is a growing belief that multilateralism is ineffective and that the United Nations is no longer relevant, “but I stand before you today to affirm that this is not true”, he said — with his nation’s very existence as a free, democratic and prosperous country as the proof that “the United Nations in action works”.  It was the first-ever UN-led coalition that defended the freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea ravaged by war in the early 1950s.  “We need more of the UN in action, not less,” he affirmed.  “But we must not forget, ‘UN in action’ actually means ‘UN Members in action’.”

The Republic of Korea is one of the core contributors to UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts around the world, and advocates strengthening peacebuilding architecture, with the Peacebuilding Commission at its core.  “However, we must also face the dysfunctions that have hampered the Council’s effectiveness,” he stated.  Expanding elected membership under equitable geographical distribution and through regular elections will contribute to a more democratic, effective, transparent, representative and accountable Council.  This year, the Republic of Korea has committed $200 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and also plans to provide $100 million to tackle humanitarian crises by year’s end, including $30 million for civilians affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.  “As the first country to transition from an aid recipient to a donor nation, we firmly believe that we can and should be the tide that lifts other boats,” he stated.  ODA has grown by 30 per cent this year from last year, and quadrupled since 2010, and recently, his country committed an additional $300 million to the Green Climate Fund.

“The heartbreaking tragedy is that just miles from Seoul, we find cynicism at its bleakest,” he lamented.  The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea threatens peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond with its ongoing development of nuclear and missile capabilities, as shown by the recent disclosure of uranium enrichment facilities — as well as provocations that have stooped down to despicable levels such as sending trash balloons into the South.  Moreover, Pyongyang has been engaged in military cooperation with Moscow, providing it with missiles and millions of ammunitions. Pyongyang is only able to develop these weapons of mass destruction with impunity by repressing the human rights of its people and diverting scarce resources from its starving populace.  He noted that the 15 August unification doctrine unveiled by President Yoon Suk Yeol presents a vision of a unified Korean Peninsula that is free, peaceful and prosperous, recognizing that “the road to peace runs through the expansion of freedom and through the unification of the Korean Peninsula”.