At the East Asia Summit, "Denuclearization of North Korea Must Be Achieved"
President Yoon Suk-yeol is heading to his seat while clapping after taking a commemorative photo with other leaders at the Korea-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit held on the 10th (local time) at the National Convention Center (NCC) in Vientiane, Laos. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 11th (local time) that "the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is prolonging the war in Ukraine and constitutes a direct challenge to the UN Security Council resolutions," adding, "We need to further strengthen solidarity to uphold the rules-based international order."
During his visit to Laos to attend the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, President Yoon also participated in the East Asia Summit (EAS), saying, "South Korea will expand security, humanitarian, and reconstruction support programs for Ukraine through the Ukraine Peace Solidarity Initiative," and "We will closely cooperate with the international community throughout this process."
President Yoon emphasized, "As geopolitical uncertainties increase, the role of the EAS will become even more important." The EAS is a separate dialogue forum that expands ASEAN+3, consisting of the 10 ASEAN countries along with South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States, and Russia as member states.
Regarding the Myanmar conflict, President Yoon said, "The Myanmar crisis is a test of problem-solving capabilities, and violence must cease immediately with all parties beginning dialogue," explaining, "The South Korean government plans to provide $23 million this year to improve the humanitarian situation in Myanmar." On conflicts in the Middle East, he stated, "Since it is directly linked to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, we must all unite our efforts to promptly conclude ceasefire and hostage release negotiations and resolve the humanitarian crisis."
Furthermore, he stressed, "Freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea must be guaranteed according to international law principles, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea." Notably, President Yoon mentioned sensitive issues such as Russia-North Korea cooperation, the Ukraine war, and the South China Sea during the meeting attended by delegations from China and Russia, drawing attention.
President Yoon urged the EAS to respond to South Korea’s vision for peaceful reunification. He pointed out, "North Korea’s actions?oppressing its people’s livelihoods and human rights solely to preserve its regime and threatening the same ethnic group with nuclear weapons?will increasingly endanger peace not only in Northeast Asia but throughout the Indo-Pacific region."
He continued, "For a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, North Korea’s denuclearization must be achieved above all," and added, "To this end, the international community must clearly demonstrate that it will never tolerate North Korea’s nuclear development and provocations."
He also said, "On August 15, Liberation Day, I announced the 'Unification Doctrine,' presenting a vision for a free and open unified Korean Peninsula," and requested, "I ask for your interest and support in breathing the spirit of freedom into North Korean territory, widely informing North Korean residents about the outside world, and seeking the path toward free and peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
