Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo made his remarks on this theme at the 18th Asia Security Summit

Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo has widely publicized the government’s efforts for complete denuclearization and the establishment of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula in front of the heads of security and civil experts from all over the world.

At the 18th Asia Security Summit (known as Shangri-La Dialogue) held in the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore on June 1st, Minister Jeong stated his commitment to militarily backing up the diplomatic efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula by maintaining a watertight combined defense posture while introducing the “peace process on the peninsula” during his speech in the second session under the theme “Future Path of Security on the Korean Peninsula". He also presented a blueprint of a “New Korean Peninsula regime” envisioned by the government.

Minister Jeong prefaced his remarks by saying that our efforts to solve the North Korean nuclear issue through the improvement of inter-Korean relations and a diplomatic solution made us discover the light of hope in the shadow of war that had once seemed unlikely to be lifted. “We may face many difficulties, but we will overcome them, as it is a critical process for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he said, highlighting the outcomes from the inter-Korean summit and the North Korea-U.S. summit.

In particular, Minister Jeong emphasized the faithful implementation of the bilateral military agreement signed in September last year. “Unlike past agreements, the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement goes beyond the significance of its declaration and contributes in practical ways to easing military tensions and building trust between the two Koreas. This shows that the military situation in the two Koreas remains more stable than ever,” he explained, after mentioning the outcomes achieved so far, including the demilitarization of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

At the same time, he raised his voice, saying that we will continue to work for complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula by faithfully implementing the agreement, in order to prevent rising military tensions and the recurrence of crisis and conflict on the peninsula.

Minister Jeong also explained our government’s new Korean Peninsula regime. “The Republic of Korean government has named a new order for peace, coexistence, cooperation and prosperity to be created through the complete denuclearization of and permanent peace on the peninsula our “New Korean Peninsula regime,” which aims at forming a “community of peaceful cooperation” that moves from war and confrontation toward peace and coexistence, and a “community of economic cooperation“ that moves from occupation and ideology towards economic growth and prosperity." The Minister added that Republic of Korea's Ministry of National Defense will carry out its mission to the utmost to implement the New Korean Peninsula regime envisioned for security on the peninsula.

Minister Jeong called for the international community’s support and cooperation to achieve permanent peace and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He said, “What we need now is the international community’s full support,” stressing that we all, with desperation, think of the current situation as the last opportunity to achieve North Korea’s denuclearization and peace on the peninsula. At the same time, he called on the international community to confirm that North Korea’s denuclearization is well-judged, and work together in promoting a permanent and firm peace process. 

The Asia Security Summit is a quasi-governmental, multilateral security forum that has been held annually in Singapore since 2002 under the supervision of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) located in England. The summit is a Track Two forum that is better known as the “Shangri-La Dialogue,” as it takes place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore and is attended by high-level officials, including defense ministers, from Asia-Pacific states and European states, as well as other civil security experts.

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >

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