Declaration on the Korean Peninsula

Meeting of the SI Council at the United Nations in Geneva, 26-27 June 2018

Recalling the statement issued by the SI from the UN Headquarters in New York in September 2017 and the declaration on North Korea of the SI Council in Barcelona in November 2017, the Council took note of the latest developments in relation to the situation on the Korean peninsula.

In line with the fundamental commitment of the SI to peace and dialogue, the Council underlined the necessity of seeking a political solution to the tensions.

The Council expresses its full support for the peace diplomacy policy pursued by the Social Democratic Party of Japan, rooted in the unique situation of Japan as the only country that has suffered the terrible destruction of nuclear weapons. Japan should proactively engage as the guarantor of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, working for the stability and peace of northeast Asia.

The possession of nuclear weapons by North Korea cannot be recognised in the interests of regional peace and security. The Council supports initiatives to create a nuclear weapon-free zone in northeast Asia, which would encompass Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia. The verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner is a prerequisite for lasting peace and stability in northeast Asia, and the Council welcomes recent steps towards reconciliation between North and South Korea.

There is now the opportunity to bring an end to the Cold War structures that have persisted in East Asia, by normalising relationships of both the United States and Japan with North Korea. This improvement in relationships could in turn bring about the implementation of economic assistance and a future in which the whole of the Korean peninsula enjoys peace and prosperity built on mutual trust and confidence.

 

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