UN Secretary-General: "Strong Support for Korean Peninsula Peace Policy"... Lee: "Close Cooperation with UN"

Third Meeting in New York
"The Role of Middle-Power Countries Like Korea Becomes More Important as Divisions and Conflicts Deepen"
Lee: "Peace Without the Need for Conflict Is the Most Reliable Security"

On September 22 (local time), President Lee Jaemyung met with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres and requested UN cooperation on his vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Secretary-General Guterres expressed his "strong support" for the Korean government's peace policy for the peninsula and stated, "The UN will continue to explore all possible roles so that these efforts can bear fruit."

Yonhap News Agency

According to a written briefing by Seong Kihong, Senior Secretary to the President for Public Communication, President Lee, who is visiting New York for the 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Session, discussed Korea-UN cooperation and Korean Peninsula issues with Secretary-General Guterres on this day. This was the third meeting between the two, following a conversation on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June last year and a meeting during the UN General Assembly in September of the same year.

Secretary-General Guterres praised Korea for its constructive role in various fields including international peace and security, sustainable development, and responses to the climate crisis. He particularly highlighted the deepening division and conflict within the international community, emphasizing that "the role of middle powers like Korea is even more important."

President Lee commended Secretary-General Guterres's leadership in upholding the principles of the UN Charter and international law and defending multilateralism over the past ten years. He added, "With UN support, Korea achieved industrialization and democratization, and Korea is living proof that the theme of this year's UN General Assembly—'the UN delivering for all'—is achievable in practice." He announced that Korea would continue to play its part so that more people can experience the achievements of the UN.

President Lee also evaluated the UN reforms promoted by Secretary-General Guterres, stating that they are "yielding tangible results." During his keynote address to the UN General Assembly earlier, President Lee stressed the need for reforms so that the UN can reduce organizational and work redundancies and speed up decision-making in line with the changing times.

Regarding the Korean Peninsula, President Lee explained the government's policy of peaceful coexistence. He said, "Based on the belief that 'peace that requires no fighting is the most reliable security,' we are working to build a Korean Peninsula where South and North coexist peacefully and grow together."

He went on to express his hope for active communication and cooperation with the UN in the process of building peace on the peninsula. In his keynote address to the UN General Assembly on the same day, President Lee also outlined three pillars of peace for the Korean Peninsula: inclusive peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect; stable peaceful coexistence through the management of crises and conflicts; and responsible peaceful coexistence that contributes to world peace.

In response, Secretary-General Guterres made clear his support for the Korean government's foreign policy, particularly its policy for peace on the peninsula. He reiterated that the UN will continue to seek all possible roles to ensure that the Korean government's efforts can yield concrete results.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.