Democratic People's Republic of Korea Takes Principled Stand in Favour of Peace and Justice
On September 26, His Excellency Ambassador Kim Song, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the United Nations as well as to Canada addressed the General Assembly.[1] In his speech, he noted that the DPRK considers the global security environment to be in its worst state since World War II, noting in particular the "high-handedness and arbitrariness of some countries attempting to replace the current international order centered on the UN system with a 'rules-based international order' governed by the unilateral and exclusive Western values." Amidst such a situation, Ambassador Song urged UN member nations to uphold the UN's principles and pledged his country's commitment to join with all nations and people in the struggle for a new world order based on peace, justice, equality and sovereignty for all nations and peoples.
Ambassador Song gave an overview of his country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and pointed out, "Despite the inevitable difficulties and obstacles caused by the global health crisis and abnormal weather conditions, the DPRK government achieved new successes and progress." He noted, "Industry, agriculture and all other sectors of the economy are showing the trend of steady and stable growth." He summed up the situation saying that the DPRK's achievements "substantiate the fact that we can successfully overcome any difficulty and challenge if we rely on the strength of the people to implement the policies that suit the reality on the ground."
Ambassador Song pointedly stated, "The successes achieved by the DPRK in its state and social development" were "by no means made under peaceful and quiet environment."
In the remainder of his speech, the ambassador identified the U.S. as the main cause of the breakdown of international law and instability on the Korean Peninsula and addressed the effects of U.S. dictate on the Korean people as well as the cause of peace and international relations as a whole. TML is posting excerpts from this portion of the speech below.
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The security environment of the Korean Peninsula is now caught in a vicious cycle of tension and confrontation due to the increasing hostility of the U.S. and its followers against the DPRK. Recently, it is heading into a much more dangerous phase. One of the trump excuses of the U.S. and its servile forces to justify their hostile policy and military threats against the DPRK is none other than the possession of our self-defensive nuclear weapons.
A few days ago, the U.S. president, at this place, picked on us, saying that despite their "efforts to begin serious and sustained diplomacy," the DPRK continues to blatantly violate UN "sanctions." To put it clearly, we have never recognized such "resolutions" of the UN that impose pressure because we do not abide by its "rules" made by the U.S. unilaterally. We will not accept them in the future, too.
In addition to our country, there exist a number of countries in the world which possess nuclear weapons. But only the DPRK has been subjected to the most brigandish and brutal "sanctions resolutions." This is because the UN connived at and allowed the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S. antagonizing the independent DPRK with an absurd reason that it differs in its ideas and systems and opposes its unjust policy.
The U.S. is now planning even at this moment to conduct joint military exercises which draw serious concern in the surroundings of the Korean Peninsula. Obviously, this is an extremely dangerous act of igniting the fuse to drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war.
[...]
The U.S. compelled the DPRK to adopt a law on the policy of nuclear forces in defiance of U.S. hostility. The U.S. should clearly understand that its heinous hostile policy against the DPRK over the past 30 years has brought about today's reality and [...] ponder over how far it would lead this situation in the future.
Mr. President, in his policy speech given at the Seventh Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, Comrade Kim Jong Un, President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, said that [the] present international situation shows that the contradictions between justice and injustice and between the progressive and the reactionary, especially the power structure surrounding the Korean Peninsula, have become obvious and the change from a unipolar world advocated by the U.S. into a multipolar world is being accelerated significantly.
[...]
The "rules-based international order" advocated by the U.S. is no less than the U.S.-centered international order permeated with unilateral and hegemonic American values. It is also an imperialistic power structure which gives precedence to the interests of the U.S. over the common interests of humankind and international law, demanding other countries' obedience.
The U.S., having divided the world into "democratic states" and "authoritarian states," is now forcing other countries to choose between the two and seek confrontation between the camps. And it attempts to maintain world hegemony by expanding the bilateral and multilateral military alliance system which are legacy of the Cold War.
The prevailing reality urgently calls on the UN, entrusted with maintaining global peace and security and safeguarding international justice, to fully discharge its missions and role enshrined in the Charter, strictly adhering to the principles of impartiality and objectivity.
The UN is the most universal international organization bringing together all the sovereign countries. As such, an individual country or a minority group can never represent the UN. All the UN activities should be duly oriented to realizing the common interests and prosperity of the member states. To this end, the basic formula for solution of problems should be the decision-making which reflects not the individual interests of a few countries, but the legitimate and just demands and opinions of all the member states.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the very organization where impartiality and objectivity are not ensured in the UN's activities. The mere fact that the UNSC makes an issue of the exercise of the legitimate right to self-defence of a sovereign state is a contradictory act as it denies the basic spirit of the UN Charter which clearly stipulates sovereign equality and non-interference as well as the recognized rules governing international relations.
The UNSC is not fully discharging its missions and responsibilities to safeguard international peace and security. The main reason lies exactly in the unjust and double-dealing acts of the U.S. and some UN member states following in the footsteps of the U.S.
The UNSC does not say even a word about the high-handedness and arbitrariness, reckless arms build-up and war crimes of the U.S., but only picks a quarrel with the DPRK at every chance in its righteous efforts to bolster national self-defence capabilities. All of these show that the UNSC has lost its competency and authority to act on behalf of the UN member states when it performs its duty to maintain international peace and security. As long as the double standards, unfairness, high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S. are not removed, any decisions or resolutions adopted by the UNSC can neither have reasonable binding force nor contribute to ensuring global peace and security.
In order to put an end to the high-handedness and arbitrariness of specific countries including the U.S. and restore confidence of the international community in the UNSC, urgent priority should be given to the expansion and strengthening of representation of developing countries which account for the absolute majority of the UN membership. If the UN is to ensure impartiality and objectivity in its activities, it should regard it as a strict rule to respect the principles of sovereign equality and the rights to equality and self-determination of the people.
The U.S. and some other UN member states are trying to unilaterally impose on sovereign states Western values and the "rules-based international order" behind the signboards of "safeguarding democracy" and "protecting human rights." Such interventionist attempts constitute a flagrant breach of the UN Charter [...]
The DPRK delegation takes this opportunity to extend firm support and solidarity to the government and people of Cuba in their struggle to safeguard their sovereignty and the right to development of the country in the face of the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the U.S. in a move to interfere in its internal affairs. We also strongly demand that all the economic and financial embargoes on Cuba by the U.S. be lifted immediately as required by relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly.
We also stand in support and solidarity with the people of Syria, Palestine and other independent countries who are struggling to repel interference of foreign forces and safeguard their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Mr. President, it is the invariable foreign policy stand of the DPRK government to maintain independence, peace and friendship. The DPRK will broadly cooperate with all countries and nations which oppose and reject aggression and interference, domination and subordination and aspire after independence and justice, transcending differences in ideology and system. It will also develop multifaceted exchanges and cooperation even with the capitalist countries that respect our country and take a friendly attitude to it.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea sets great store by sovereign equality and international justice. It will, in the future, too, actively join the international community in its efforts to maintain world peace and security and establish a fair and just international order. And it will fulfil its responsibilities and role in ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.
Note
1. His Excellency Ambassador Kim Song, a career diplomat, was appointed Permanent Representative of the DPRK to the United Nations in 2018. He also serves as the DPRK's Ambassador to Canada. While Canada established diplomatic relations with the DPRK in 2001, it has blocked efforts to further engagement, citing the DPRK's "aggression" and has since adopted what is called a "Controlled Engagement Policy" towards the DPRK. As such, Ambassador Kim Song has yet to be given the diplomatic courtesy of presenting his credentials in Canada. In the meantime, war-criminals, neo-Nazis, warmongers and imposters such as Juan Guaidó, the U.S.-sponsored pretender to the presidency of Venezuela, are shown the red carpet.
This article was published in
Volume 52 Number 38 - October 31, 2022
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmld2022/Articles/D520383.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca