평화군축센터 미분류 2009-08-20   1217

Is the Korean government an obstruction or a contribution to the international nuclear disarmament?

Open Inquiry on the intentions and positions on Nuclear Disarmament and Nuclear Non-proliferation of the Korean government

Numerous Abstentions on Nuclear disarmament resolutions, Nuclear umbrella, Nuclear reprocessing : the Korean government’s retrograding disarmament effort


This year, the government of the Republic of Korea has stipulated its position to be put under the protection of American nuclear umbrellas and has proclaimed its plan to enter into nuclear reprocessing by revising ‘the Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America concerning Civil Uses of Atomic Energy.’


Therefore, People’s Solidarity of Participatory Democracy(PSPD) has evaluated the government’s actions shown in the international community including the United Nations and sent an open inquiry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade today(July 9th, 2009), asking the government’s intentions and positions on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.


Prior to the release of the open inquiry, the Center for Peace and Disarmament of PSPD has analyzed and the voting patterns of the Republic of Korea, nuclear powers and major actor nations in Northeast Asia in order to monitor whether the Korean government’s nuclear policies are correspondent to the efforts on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of the international community. As a result, it was found that the Korean government has demonstrated its position as ‘abstaining’ and has taken an ambiguous and contradicting attitude rather than asserting ‘in favor’ or ‘sponsor’ to many of resolutions regarding nuclear disarmament.


These actions seem to be contrary to what the Korean government has insisted upon; asserting the significance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation including prohibition of use and development of nuclear weapons, taking part in the efforts of the international community in order to achieve these goals. What makes these actions more contradictory is that the government has emphasized the importance of  non-nuclear powers’ negative security assurances and has also stressed the significance of Nuclear Weapons Free Zone(NWFZ) in the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference(NPT PrepCom) last May.


Through the Open Inquiry, PSPD has pointed out the fact that the Korean government has abstained most frequently in the votings for nuclear weapons related resolutions including prohibition of use and elimination of nuclear weapons in the last 6 years at the United Nations General Assembly. In addition, it was also found that the Korean government has the tendency of voting abstentions to resolutions that were sponsored by nonaligned nations and constantly blackballed by major Western countries. (such as the United States alone, or the United States, the United Kingdom and France in group)


Therefore, PSPD has expressed doubts on the Korean government whether it is passive in urging practical nuclear disarmament and it is not cooperating with the global community in its efforts towards nuclear disarmament. PSPD also insisted that the Korean government could not avoid criticism that it is not only an obstacle but also blocking the progress in the efforts of international society for nuclear disarmament, stressing that those actions by the Korean government are not irrelevant to the current relationship with the United States where offers the Korean government the nuclear umbrella, which contains the possibility of nuclear revenge attack. Besides, PSPD has made it clear that participating in efforts to completely eliminate nuclear weapons is not only the responsibilities of nuclear powers but also the ones of countries which are under the protection of nuclear umbrellas.


PSPD has made it public that the Open Inquiry, which asks the intentions and positions on Nuclear Disarmament and Nuclear Non-proliferation of the Korean government and its efforts to achieve them was written based on the analysis of voting patterns of the Korean government at the United Nations General Assembly, the government’s statement at the NPT PrepCom in may which highlighted the significance of  elimination of the threat of use of nuclear weapons and establishment of nuclear-free zone, and the government’s current declaration on its plan to intensify the extended nuclear deterrent and nuclear reprocessing attempts.



See the Open Inquiry  ‘We ask the intentions and positions on Nuclear Disarmament and Nuclear Non-proliferation of the Korean government’

Contents as below
1. [General Review] the Korean government’s position and problems on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation
2. [Inquiry] the Korean government’s positions on abstentions to the United Nations nuclear disarmament resolutions
3. [Inquiry] Regarding the Korean government’s nuclear policies such as NPT and Nuclear umbrellas
4. [Inquiry] Regarding non-proliferation and multilateral approaches
5. [Inquiry] Regarding the Korean government’s efforts on efforts of international community towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation



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