평화군축센터 미분류 2009-10-13   1647

Analysis of Voting Patterns on the UN Nuclear Disarmament Resolutions by PSPD



Publication of the Nuclear Disarmament Reports,
an Analysis of Voting Patterns on the UN Nuclear Disarmament Resolutions


– US that opposed to all nuclear disarmament resolutions being the greatest obstacle to nuclear disarmament

– ROK government, which is under the US nuclear umbrella, abstained from most of resolutions on elimination and use of nuclear weapons except resolutions relevant to ‘Nuclear of DPRK’


The Center of Peace and Disarmament of PSPD has published ‘the Nuclear Disarmament Report I : Analysis of Voting Patterns of 12 Crucial Countries on the UN Resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament’, and ‘the Nuclear Disarmament Report Ⅱ : Analysis of Voting Patterns of the ROK government on the UN Resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament on 9 September 2009. By analyzing voting patterns on nuclear disarmament resolutions which were submitted to the United Nations General Assembly during the last 6 years (2003~2008/ 58th~63rd session), PSPD has tried to figure out reasons for the non-fulfillment of nuclear disarmament despite the huge demand for nuclear disarmament in the international society.


The analysis was made on the voting patterns(voted in favor, against, or abstained) of the total of 12 nations. They are 5 nuclear-haves(the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France), non-NPT(Non-Proliferation Treaty) member states that own nuclear weapons already or are eager to own them(India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea), and Iran that is suspected to have intention to own nuclear weapons as well as the Republic of Korea and Japan.


The Nuclear Disarmament ReportⅠ has revealed the US’s constant opposition to resolutions regarding prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons, nuclear disarmament, negative security assurance(NSA), implementation of obligations agreed to at NPT review conferences while other nuclear powers such as the UK and France also had been abstained from or opposed to those resolutions as well.


PSPD has figured out the fact, which the US has been opposed to 100% of the 18 resolutions regarding nuclear weapons, is the very crucial reason why nuclear disarmament in the international society has made only little progress and why there have been controversies on justification and double standard over nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Beside to nuclear-haves, the ROK and Japan that are benefited from the US nuclear umbrella tended to abstain from votes on resolutions regarding practical nuclear disarmament.



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The Nuclear Disarmament ReportⅡ has analyzed the voting patterns of the Republic of Korea to nuclear disarmament resolutions at the UN General Assembly during 2003~2008. It has tried to examine whether the ROK government, which had been advocating global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, has actually made efforts to realize its advocacy at the international diplomatic arenas. However, as the report has figured out, the ROK government had been demonstrating passive and negative standpoint towards the nuclear disarmament. The ROK government has been abstained from the resolutions rather than supporting, which urge disarmament and elimination of nuclear weapons to nuclear powers.

For example, the ROK government has demonstrated 11 abstentions in total during the voting at the General Assembly in 2008 (18 in favors, 0 against). 8 resolution out of those 11 abstentions were the resolutions regarding nuclear disarmament. This analysis proves that such behaviors of the ROK government are certainly not meeting the public expectation that the ROK government is fully supportive towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Moreover, it is highly contradictory to its disapproval policy of ‘nuclear programme of DPRK’, ‘Joint Declaration of Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula’ and its statements made at the NPT related conferences.


These analysis prove that ‘Nuclear Weapons Free World’ will never be able to be achieved as long as nuclear-haves rely on the nuclear deterrence as a means for security and maintain the operational readiness of nuclear weapons rather than giving up the use of nuclear weapons. The ROK government cannot evade criticisms that the ROK government is retrogressive to international nuclear disarmament efforts, since it has been getting on bandwagon of the US nuclear policy which holds tenacious objection to nuclear disarmament despite its status as a non-nuclear state.


It is critical that the duty of nuclear disarmament is compulsory to not only nuclear powers but also those nations that are dependent on nuclear deterrence. PSPD has urged the ROK government not only to abandon the security policy depnending on the nuclear deterrence, but also to promote ‘nuclear free Northeast Asia’ which contains prohibition of use, shipment, and deployment of nuclear weapons and negative security assurance to non-nuclear states beyond the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, in order to pursue the nuclear weapon free world.


It is important to pay attention on the international movements and schedules which may be expectant of progress in nuclear disarmament all over the world. For instance, the Obama administration of the US is advocating the nuclear free world while Democratic Party in Japan that has taken the office is putting up ‘nuclear free Northeast Asia’ as a public pledge. Besides, a series of conferences on disarmament are coming such as the UN Security Council’s conference on disarmament, UN Disarmament Committee’s meeting urging the enter into force of CTBT(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty), and 2010 NPT(Non-Proliferation Treaty) Review Conference.


Nevertheless, nuclear issues discussed within the ROK are limited to the nuclear programme of DPRK despite such changes at the international level, which can be very influential on the Korean Peninsula. It is necessary to have serious attention and debate on ‘the nuclear weapon free world’ and monitor the nuclear policies of the Lee Myung-bak government.

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