외교부

Welcoming Remarks and Introduction of Participants

- November 9, 2006 -

Dr. Hans Blix, His Excellency Ambassador Lars Vargö, my colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

I am greatly honored to have Dr. Hans Blix with us for a roundtable discussion this morning. First, I would like to start by introducing Dr. Blix and offering some of my thoughts on today’s topic.

Dr. Hans Blix was born in Uppsala, Sweden, and he studied at the University of Uppsala. He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University, and received a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. In 1963, Dr. Blix joined the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1976, he became Under-Secretary of State, in charge of international development cooperation.  He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in October 1978.

And, from 1981 to 1997, Dr. Blix served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency for four terms. Here, I need to mention that, in the early 1990s, he visited North Korea several times to lead the IAEA teams in inspecting the North’s nuclear activities. He also visited Yong-Byon district in North Korea in May of 1992, as the first person to inspect the nuclear facilities. Ever since, he has made efforts to solve the North Korean nuclear problem.

Later, Dr. Blix was appointed Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq in January 2000. Since January 2004, Dr. Blix has been the Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC). Its report “Weapons of Terror, Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms” was presented to the public on 1 June 2006.

My introduction of Dr. Blix makes it very clear that he is an outstanding academic with an illustrious career. And, as you probably have noticed, it seems his talents know no boundaries. He is an award-winning scholar, a veteran diplomat, and a renowned legal expert. His knowledge and experience are all the more important to us for discussing today’s topic of “the North Korean Nuclear Problem & International Non-proliferation Efforts.”

As we all know, despite international warnings, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test on October 9, 2006.  In response to the nuclear test, the international community is currently taking steps to apply sanctions against the North, based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1718. Consequently, the level of tension has heightened. However, there is good news, too. Faced with mounting international pressure, North Korea has announced that it would return to the Six-Party Talks. Perhaps, this will be the most critical time for all concerned parties as they need to put forth their efforts to make the coming Six-Party Talks a “win-win” game.

I sincerely hope that all of us can benefit from sharing our thoughts and wisdom with Dr. Blix on this timely discussion topic. I would like to offer my warmest welcome to Dr. Blix.

Thank you very much.