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대한민국 유엔승인 60주년 국제학술회의 축사(영문)

  • 작성자 : 김진옥
  • 등록일 : 2008.12.17
  • 조회수 : 2830
His Excellency Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender,
President Sohn Byungdoo,
His Excellency Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio,
Most Reverend Kang Woo-il Peter, President of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of Korea,
The Honorable Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the ESCAP,
Distinguished Participants and Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to speak to you on this very special occasion of the International Symposium on the founding of the Republic of Korea and its recognition by the United Nations. I would like to thank President Sohn Byungdoo and Most Reverend Kang Woo-il for co-hosting this meaningful conference.

This symposium is being held at a critical juncture in the history of the Republic of Korea. I am pleased to have today’s event as the grand finale of a series of memorable events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea. Given that the main objective of this symposium is to shed light on the very beginning of the nation, I believe that today’s presentations and follow-up discussions will provide valuable opportunities for us to reflect on Korea’s tumultuous journey and pathways to the future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

60 years ago today, the 3rd session of the United Nations General Assembly was being held in Paris. It was indeed a critical day when the fate of the Republic of Korea was to be determined.

International recognition of the government of the Republic of Korea was not just an issue limited to the destiny of the Korean peninsula in the midst of the unyielding confrontation between the West and East, the Free World and the Communist Bloc.

Headed by Dr. Chang Myun, whose son Most Reverend Chang Ik is with us today, Korean delegation made every diplomatic effort until the very last minute to obtain full support for the recognition of the Republic of Korea. It must have been a daunting, burdensome task for young diplomats from the young republic which had just been freed from the 36-year-long colonial rule.

On December 12th, the delegation of the 53 members of the United Nations General Assembly witnessed the historic voting on the question of recognition of the Republic of Korea as the sole legitimate government on the Korean peninsula. The result of the voting was 46 to 3. It was an unforgettable moment that the free democratic government of the Republic of Korea was triumphantly recognized by the international community.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the time when our government was recognized by the United Nation, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world on par with Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia and other LDCs with per-capita income of less than 100 US dollars.

Even worse, only two years later, the Korean War broke out. We had to rely on the assistance of the UN and other major allies in defending Korea from North Korea’s aggression during 1950-1953. It was the Resolution 195 of the UN General Assembly that provided the ground for the United Nations to support the Republic of Korea and its legitimate government. Without the UN’s recognition of the Republic of Korea two years before, this country might have been erased out of today’s world map.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It was also the UN that came to help us reconstruct Korean economy through UNKRA immediately after the Korean War. Korea owed much to the United Nations in its long journey towards today’s prosperous country.

Today Korea is flourishing full-fledged democracy and is a country that protects human rights fully. Korea has also made a great stride in economic development.

Korea is now the world's thirteenth largest economy and plays a leading and predominant role in the world in such sectors as semiconductor chips, automobile, steel, shipbuilding, petrochemical products, electronics, mobile phones, and heavy machinery, to name just a few.

To recall from the founding of the Korean government in 1948, the past 60 years were the history of success, the history of advancement, and the history of miracle achieved by the great devotion of the entire Korean people.

We are immensely proud of what we have achieved at home. However, we are well aware that the UN’s assistances have been critical to making these achievements and that now is the time for Korea to give back to the international community. We are going to triple our current ODA by 2015. Our ODA today is around 1 billion US$. We also expressed our intention to join the DAC of the OECD in 2010.

In this light, we are so pleased and honored that H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, one of Korea’s proudest sons, is now leading the United Nations as its Secretary-General. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is now playing a pivotal role in promoting the world peace, eradicating global poverty, and addressing the challenge of climate change and many other imminent global issues. On my part, I had the great pleasure and honor to preside over the 56th session of the UNGA as its President during 2001-2002.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Korea must go beyond the successful history of industrialization and democratization over the past 60 years and take a new leap forward to build a leading advanced nation of the world.

For the past 60 years, Korea did not have the luxury of looking back—we were always on the move. So it’s a natural and an opportune moment to reflect upon past to carve out our potential path for the next 60 years. As a responsible member of the international community, we are ready to assume our rightful role with matching responsibilities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I hope this symposium will be excellent platform to revisit the past of the Republic of Korea and find ways to open up a new future of our advancement as well as to contribute to the future of humanity.

I would like to conclude my remarks by conveying my sincere appreciation to the distinguished participants here today and look forward to your valuable contributions to rediscovering the major diplomatic achievement of our young leaders of the young republic, headed by Dr. Chang Myun.

Thank you.