[Photo]: Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key (left) and President Lee Myung-bak (right) having a bilateral summit at Cheongwadae on 25 March
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KOREA-NEW ZEALAND YEAR OF FRIENDSHIP 2012 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary
of the Diplomatic Relationship
KOREAN EMBASSY NEWSLETTER
Address: 11th Floor, ASB Bank Tower, 2 Hunter Street, Wellington 6011, NZ , Tel: 04-473-9073, Fax: 04-472-3865 E-mail: researcher@koreanembassy.org.nz, Website: www.koreanembassy.org.nz, Facebook: www.facebook.com/nzkoreanembassy
26 March 2012
New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key is visiting Korea from 24 to 27 March, to attend the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit along with more than 50 leaders from around the world. This is his second official visit to Korea as Prime Minister.
On 25 March, President Lee Myung-bak welcomed Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key at Cheongwadae and the two leaders held a bilateral summit. At the summit meeting, President Lee and Prime Minister John Key discussed issues of mutual interests including North Korea, the Korea-NZ FTA and ways to strengthen further bilateral ties. Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key reiterated New Zealand’s strong support for the Korean Government’s policy on North Korea. He mentioned that “New Zealand continues to stand with South Korea. We have an ongoing commitment to peace and security on the Korean peninsula." The two leaders also emphasized that this year is very special as the two countries celebrate the ‘Korea-NZ Year of Friendship’ marking of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship, and a variety of events are planned in both countries for this celebration.
On 25 March, Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key also visited Kapyoeng in Gyeonggido to lay a wreath at the Anzac memorial marking the 1951 Battle of Kapyeong. On this occasion, he was accompanied by Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Mr Sung-choon Park.
[Photo]: New Zealand Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key speaks at Kapyeong
KOREA - NEW ZEALAND BILATERAL SUMMIT HELD IN SEOUL
KOREA HOSTS THE 2012 SEOUL NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT
The 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) to discuss ways to better cooperate in international security is being held in Seoul on 26 and 27 March. The two-day summit is the largest foreign affairs event ever hosted in Korea. More than 10,000 representatives from some 50 countries are participating including New Zealand. The first Nuclear Security Summit was hosted by US President Barak Obama and took place in Washington DC in 2010.
The Seoul Communique, which is to be adopted as an outcome of the summit, will include specific actions to prevent nuclear terror attacks, including efforts to minimize the holding and use of such dangerous nuclear substances as highly enriched uranium and plutonium, to better protect nuclear facilities, and to forestall illegal trafficking of nuclear materials. The communique will also address such emerging issues as the interrelation between nuclear security and nuclear safety as well as management of radioactive materials.
Ambassador HE Mr Yongkyu Park contributed an article which was published in Dominion Post on 22 March about the NSS and Korea’s inceasing role in the field of international security. [See the article:
Preventing Terrorism Heads Agenda for Seoul Nuclear Summit]
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IMAGINE al Qaeda had acquired and used nuclear material for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. No wonder United States President Barack Obama launched the highest level forum on nuclear security by hosting the first Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in 2010, recognising nuclear security is the most urgent first step for realising the ultimate goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, as he pronounced in Prague in 2009.
Seoul will host the second Nuclear Security Summit on March 26-27 bringing together almost 60 world leaders representing 53 states and four international organisations, including the United Nations and the IAEA.
The top-priority agenda for the Seoul Summit is preventing nuclear terrorism, which poses one of the most serious threats to global peace and security.
As UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon stated, one nuclear terrorist attack could inflict mass casualties and bring unwanted change to the world forever.
We have been fortunate so far not to suffer catastrophic nuclear terrorism.
However, the threat is neither unthinkable nor unrealistic considering that about 1600 tonnes of highly enriched uranium and 500 tonnes of plutonium – enough to build 126,500 nuclear weapons – are scattered around the world.
Furthermore, the IAEA’S database shows that more than 2000 cases of theft, loss and illicit trafficking of nuclear or radioactive material have been reported since 1993, and the whereabouts of 60 per cent of the material is unknown.
As a premier forum on nuclear security, the Seoul Summit will consolidate the highest political resolve of world leaders and take concrete steps to secure a world free of nuclear terrorism, which will be embodied in the ‘‘Seoul Communique’’.
'Preventing Terrorism Heads Agenda for Seoul Nuclear Summit'
By Mr Yongkyu Park
(Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to New Zealand)
Published in the Dominion Post
on 22 March 2012
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Building on the achievements of the Washington Summit, the action plans will include practical ways, among others, to eliminate or minimise dangerous nuclear material, block illegal trade in nuclear material, tighten information security, enhance universality of nuclear security treaties and support activities of international nuclear regulatory organisations or multilateral networks such as the UN, IAEA, Interpol and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
One of the additional agendas will be the interface and synergy between nuclear security and nuclear safety, which has emerged as all the more important after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011.
Another important topic will be the threat of radiological terrorism, which uses primitive yet devastating ‘‘dirty bombs’’.
By addressing these issues, the Seoul Summit can contribute to restoring public confidence in nuclear energy, which is crucial for sustainable economic growth in many countries amid the rising cost of fossil fuels and growing concern about climate change.
The symbolism of the Seoul Summit is also great as no other region demonstrates the dual nature of nuclear power and highlights the contrast of its potential benefits and risks than the Korean peninsula.
As a model for a non-nuclear weapons state upholding principles of the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) while making the best use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Korea is well placed to play a constructive role as a facilitator and bridge between nuclear haves and have-nots.
As the host of the Seoul Summit, the largest diplomatic event to be held in Korea after the G20 Summit in 2010 and the Fourth High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011, the Korean Government is preparing meticulously with the full support and cooperation of all participating states including New Zealand and international organisations.
New Zealand is well-known for its solid credentials and a good reputation as one of the staunchest supporters of the NPT regime. New Zealand has been always at the forefront in promoting a nuclear weapons-free world.
Accordingly, it is quite appropriate that Prime Minister John Key will take part in the summit.
The Korean Government will highly appreciate his contributions to the success of the summit.
His visit to Seoul has added value since Korea and New Zealand are celebrating a half century of diplomatic relations this year. He will certainly have opportunities to discuss with Korean leaders visions and strategies for a stronger partnership in the second half century of Korea-new Zealand friendship.
Yongkyu Park is the Korean Ambassador to New Zealand.
[Dominion Post, 22 March 2012]
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[Photos]: HE Mr Patrick Rata presenting his credentials to President Lee Myung-bak on 19 Marh
The newly appointed New Zealand Ambassador to Korea His Excellency Mr Patrick Rata presented his credentials to President Lee at Cheongwadae on 19 March. Mr Rata arrived in Korea in February as the successor of the former New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Mr Richard Mann.
Mr Patrick Rata’s appointment was announced by Foreign Minister Hon Murray McCully in September last year. Mr Rata has recently worked at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, and had been the Head of the Japan and Koreas Unit at the New Zealand foreign ministry, and held postings to the New Zealand High Commission in London and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
NEW AMBSSADOR TO KOREA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
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On 22 March, New Zealand’s foreign minister Hon Murray McCully expressed his serious concerns about North Korea’s plans to launch a satellite next month using a long-range ballistic missile.
In his statement, Minister McCully said, "The [New Zealand] government has been cautiously optimistic about North Korea's recent agreement with the United States to put a moratorium on long-range missile launches. This latest announcement from North Korea is therefore very disappointing. The use of ballistic missile technology to conduct the proposed launch is inconsistent both with that agreement and with UN Security Council resolutions. The [New Zealand] government strongly urges North Korea to abandon its launch plan, work with the international community and stop its nuclear weapons programme.”
NZ FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSES CONCERNS ON NORTH KOREA
TWO KOREAN FILMS SCREENING
Two Korean films, ‘The Front Line’
and ‘War of the Arrows’, will be screened at the 2012 World Cinema Showcase. This event is hosted by the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZFF) committee in four major cities in New Zealand;
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
For ticketing and screening
information, please visit the website, www.worldcinemashowcase.co.nz.
‘The Front Line’: http://www.worldcinemashowcase.co.nz/thefrontline.html
‘War of the Arrows’: http://www.worldcinemashowcase.co.nz/warofthearrows.html
