외교부

(Check against Delivery)

Statement
by
H.E. Min Dong-seok
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
Republic of Korea

at the Kiev Summit on Safe and Innovative Use of Nuclear Energy

Kiev, Ukraine 19 April 2011
 

President Yanukovich,
Excellencies,

I am very pleased to join you here this afternoon at the Kiev Summit on Safe and Innovative Use of Nuclear Energy hosted by the Government of Ukraine in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency President Yanukovich and the organizing committee for their warm and generous hospitality.

I would also like to express my deepest condolences to the victims and bereaved families of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan early last month. This powerful natural disaster, in addition to causing much devastation, also damaged the nuclear reactors in Fukushima further aggravating the already catastrophic situation. At this time of extraordinary challenge, I assure you that the Republic of Korea remains committed to providing all possible assistance to Japan for its early recovery.

Against this backdrop, today’s Summit on nuclear safety cannot be more timely and relevant. Just as it is easier to treat an illness when it is found at an early stage, if we take full advantage of this gathering to recognize and identify those areas that need improvement for further strengthening nuclear safety, I am certain that we will be able to turn the current crisis into yet another opportunity for the safer use of nuclear energy.

Allow me to tell you a personal experience I had that made me understand the effects of public fear of nuclear contamination. Back in the summer of 1992, six years since the 1986 Chernobyl accident, I accompanied the then Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea on his official visit to Ukraine. During one of the dinner receptions, I remember there were beautiful and delicious looking fruits on the table, but nobody would eat them. It had been six years since the Chernobyl accident, and yet, I realized that the horrific memories of radioactive contamination were still fresh in the minds of the people.

Twenty years have passed since I had this eye-opening experience of the tragic effects of a nuclear accident. This past month, following the Japanese earthquake, I have been leading the 24/7 Emergency Response Team of Korea. As I worked to coordinate Korea’s relief efforts in Japan, I took particular interest in the effects of the failure of the Fukushima Daiichi Plant.

Regardless of whether their fear was based on sound scientific grounds or not, I saw how this fear of radiological consequences had a psychological effect on the people. Once again, I came to realize that nuclear accidents recognize no national boundaries and considering the scale of its effect, it is a problem not only of the affected country, but also of its neighboring countries and further, of the entire world.

To learn from the recent accident, the three Northeast Asian countries—Korea, Japan and China—will make efforts to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear safety. Such efforts will also need to take place on the international level. In this context, I am convinced that today’s Summit and the upcoming Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety to be held in June at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will provide an excellent opportunity in reaffirming our commitment to ensure nuclear safety and discussing concrete actions to be taken towards this end.

At this point, I would like to stress the importance of dealing with an issue that poses a serious and urgent threat to both international security and nuclear safety. In defiance of the international community’s repeated calls for denuclearization, North Korea has pursued nuclear weapons programs, announcing withdrawal from the NPT and conducting two nuclear tests. The danger posed by Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions has been further complicated by its recent revelation of a uranium enrichment program, which is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and contrary to the Joint Statement of 2005 of the Six-Party Talks.
Aside from nuclear capabilities, we are also concerned about the safety of North Korea’s nuclear facilities. Needless to say, Pyongyang’s failure to comply with international standards and practices in constructing nuclear facilities spells high vulnerabilities for the region in the event of a natural disaster.

Indeed, the dangers posed by North Korea’s nuclear programs are multifaceted and have dire consequences for the region and beyond. We must therefore boost our efforts to address this issue in a unified and resolute manner, urging North Korea to abandon all nuclear programs including UEP in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and return to NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations.

Excellencies,

Together with nuclear safety, we also need to place emphasis on strengthening nuclear security. Failure in nuclear security would be as devastating, if not more, as a nuclear accident.

As you are all well aware, last April, some 50 leaders met in Washington D.C. for the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit where they reaffirmed their shared understanding on the importance of nuclear security. Based on this common understanding, the participating governments will gather once more in Korea next year at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit to review the actions that have been taken on the basis of the commitments, and to explore the way forward towards our ultimate goal of building a safer and a better world. I would like to take this opportunity to request the leaders here today for their interest in and support for the upcoming 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.

Excellencies,

We all need to work together if we are to succeed in keeping humanity safe from the horrors of a nuclear accident while simultaneously using nuclear energy for the benefit of mankind. Today’s Summit, in this regard, is a golden opportunity for us to harness international cooperation towards improving nuclear safety and ensuring the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy in the future.  Thank you.


첨부. 비공식 국문 번역본