2-4 Il Han-UN Gunchuk·Bihwaksan Hoeui... Sin-hyeong Mugi Munje Non-ui

Discussion on the Impact of New Technologies Including Autonomous Lethal Weapons, Hypersonic Weapons, Space-Related Weapons, and Biological Weapons
Youth Special Session Also Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs, will hold the "19th Korea-UN Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Conference" from the 2nd to the 4th in a hybrid format combining on-site and virtual participation.

At this conference, discussions will focus on the impact and policy implications of emerging technologies such as autonomous lethal weapons, hypersonic weapons, space-related weapons, and biological weapons on the disarmament and non-proliferation regime. Issues related to new types of weapons have become urgent challenges for the international disarmament and non-proliferation system, with their importance highlighted at the UN General Assembly, the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC), the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), and multilateral export control regimes.

The conference will be attended by government officials from the United States, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, China, and others; representatives from international organizations such as the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union (EU); experts from domestic and international think tanks and academia including the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and the Korea National Diplomatic Academy; as well as industry participants such as Microsoft. Ham Sang-wook, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Izumi Nagamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, will deliver opening remarks representing their respective governments and the UN.

This year, on the 2nd, the day before the Korea-UN Disarmament Conference, a Youth Special Session will be held with the participation of 25 youth representatives from Korea and the UN. This special event is part of follow-up measures to the "Youth, Disarmament and Non-proliferation" resolution adopted at the 74th UN General Assembly last year, led by Korea. It aims to support the UN Secretary-General’s disarmament agenda announced in 2018, specifically the "Youth Engagement and Contribution Enhancement Initiative." The event will be broadcast live on YouTube.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "With the 20th anniversary approaching next year, our government will continue to enhance our contributions and status through the Korea-UN Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Conference, a leading forum in the Asia-Pacific region, and strive to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula."