On behalf of the delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK),        I would like first of all to congratulate Your Excellency Sam Kahamba Kutesa on your election as President of the current session of the United Nations General Assembly.

I am confident that your able stewardship will lead this session to a fruitful success.

Mr. President,

The DPRK fully endorses the main theme of the current session, the “Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda”.

Development is one of the core missions of UN. Together with peace, it constitutes one of the two pillars for sustainable development of humankind.

During the first 15 years of the new millennium, the world has witnessed poverty rate reduced to a half. It is a proof of success illustrating correct target of the MDGs with elimination of poverty as its main adopted at the UN Millennium Summit.

It was a particularly difficult time for the DPRK. However, we have also overcome the severe hardships.

Despite Unprecedentedly persistent economic blockade, military threat and political obstruction, we have firmly safeguarded national dignity, effectively deterred war and put the stagnant economy onto an upward track, under the leadership of the Great General           KIM JONG IL.

Today we have at last secured the reliable springboard to leap into a powerful nation following the guidance of the respected Marshal KIM JONG UN.

In the DPRK at present, a grand boom of construction is in full swing and modern factories and enterprises befitting the era of knowledge economy are built and founded at a record-breaking speed in many places of the country.

We observe a great leap in our fishing industry and livestock farming and as well as a blooming new civilization of the 21^stcentury in the living environment and cultural and welfare spheres for the future generations and working masses.

Mr. President,

We consider that the “Post-2015 Development Agenda” should focus on creating favorable environment and conditions for achieving common sustainable socio-economic development for our humankind, while consolidating successes made in implementing the MDGs.

The Climate Change Summit held just a few days ago was a successful gathering which constituted a part of the UN-wide action measures to ensure survival of humankind and sustainable development by protecting global ecosystem and solving the climate change.

The United Nations and international relations should be democratized further.

The principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the UN Charter is exactly the principle of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of other nations.

However, high-handedness and arbitrariness veiled under the various disguises such as “democracy”, “humanitarian crises” “counter-terrorism” “human rights protection” and “non-proliferation” are committed in brazen-face in the form of sanctions, blockade, military threat and armed intervention. This is the stern reality we witness today.

Proceeding from the consistent position to oppose interference and sanctions in all their manifestations against sovereign states, our delegation holds that the unilateral economic, trade and financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba should be immediately dismantled.

Mr. President,

Peace and security are the permanent theme of the UN.

Without peace and security, we cannot think about anything else whether it is the life of humankind, sustainable development, protection and promotion of human rights or preservation of the global ecosystem.

Nevertheless, when it comes to the issue of enhancing the central role of the UN, we see the functions and role for peace and security lagging far behind others.

As stipulated in the Charter, the UN member states entrusted the Security Council with maintaining international peace and security as the first and foremost responsibility.

The present reality shows that, in lieu of the Security Council still mired in paralysis of the Cold War, a permanent member state seeks to act as military police of the world through military blocs or bilateral military alliances that have nothing to do with UN.

The anachronistic stereotypes and prejudices of the Security Council can find their most extreme expression in the prevailing situation on the Korean peninsula.

The world remembers the fact that the situation on the Korean peninsula had reached the touch-and-go brink of war last year.

It was started with the United States-south Korea joint military exercises aimed at “occupying” the capital city Pyongyang of the DPRK.

In January this year, the government of the DPRK made a proposal to stop military hostile acts against each other on the Korean peninsula, but those provocative joint military exercises against the DPRK were forcibly conducted in March-April and in August as well.

The government of the DPRK officially referred to the Security Council the issue of suspending such war exercises which seriously endanger peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the region as a whole.

However, the Security Council turned its back.

As the joint military exercises were led by its permanent member state, the Security Council was bound to close its eyes, block its ears and shut its mouth, no matter how enormous in scale, aggressive in purpose and dangerous in nature they were.

Even in the Cold War period, there were measures in place between the East and the West to restrict the number of military exercises in which more than 40,000-strong troops took part.

We are obliged to raise a question as to why such war exercises with participation of more than 500,000 troops at a time are needed annually only on the Korean peninsula after nearly a quarter century since the Cold War.

At present, the government of the DPRK set forth the economic construction and improvement of people’s living standard as its major task.

Accordingly, peaceful environment is a vital necessity for us to lead the just picked-up upward trend of the national economy to a sustainable development.

Peaceful environment and reduction of tensions are ever more precious to us now than at any time.

The tense situation of the Korean peninsula does not help us. On the contrary, it presents a serious obstacle in our effort for economic development and improved people’s living standard.

The war exercises focused on landing, long-range nuclear bombing and commando operations aimed at occupying the capital city of another country can never be viewed as “defensive”.

The claim that these war exercises are “annual” in nature is just a veiled attempt to succeed in surprise attack after creating “chronic immunity” to them.

Mr. President,

The reform of the Security Council should no longer be delayed.

The structure and method of work of the current Security Council are outdated by far. It had already been confirmed by the general will of the member states reflected in a resolution adopted at the 47^thsession of the UN General Assembly in 1992.

The Security Council should no longer be an exhibition showcasing the extreme manifestation of the double standard.

The unjust practice should be put to an end, by which the military exercises waged by a permanent member state is covered up with no regard to their serious threat to peace and security, whereas those conducted by a UN member state in response is called into question in any case although they are inevitable and self-defensive in nature.

Likewise, the Security Council simply ignores civilian killings of the Palestinian people by Israel under the patronage of a permanent member state, but selectively takes issue with only the Syrian government in defense of the sovereignty and stability of the country. This unjust practice cannot be tolerated. In particular, not a single act should be allowed in any case to encroach upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria under the disguise of counter-terrorism.

The Security Council should no longer serve as a forum for telling lies.

11 years ago we heard with our own ears the accusation made at the Security Council meeting by a permanent member state that “there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq”

Only after military invasion followed and tragic bloodshed resulted, the world came to realize that it was a big lie of the century.

However, because the big lie was made by a permanent member state, the Security Council kept silence again. As a result, the bloodshed continues even today after 11 years.

The Security Council should not be abused as a tool for high-handedness and arbitrariness.

The UN Charter stipulates that the Security Council should act in conformity with the principles of justice and international laws.

The Security Council has no authority to pass a resolution on prohibiting peaceful satellite launch by a UN member state in contravention of the international law such as the Outer Space Treaty.

The reform of the Security Council is, in essence, a revolution that realizes democratization of UN and international relations.

UN is not a monarchy and the Security Council is not the senate.

The reform of the Security Council is not possible unless its members decide to give up their prerogatives in the interest of democracy in good faith.

The permanent member state that is most vociferous about export of democracy should reflect on whether its sermon is just hypocrisy or not in view of the demand of the times and the majority of the member states.

Should the Security Council fail to reform itself to remain as a drop-off of the times, the UN members may look for the UN without such anachronistic and undemocratic Council.

Mr. President,

The DPRK maintains that all problems pertaining to international relations should be resolved not by high-handedness and arbitrariness but strictly on the principles of sovereign equality enshrined in the UN Charter.

The nuclear issue of the Korean peninsula is a matter of sovereignty and right to life of a UN member state before peace and security.

The hostile policy, nuclear threat and stifling strategy pursued by the United States for more than half a century inevitably resulted in the decision of nuclear weapons state of the DPRK.

The nuclear deterrent of the DPRK is not intended to threaten or attack others. Neither is it a bargaining chip to be exchange for something else.

The nuclear issue will be resolved if and when the threat to our sovereignty and right to life is removed in substance with termination of the US hostile policy against the DPRK.

Politicization, selectivity and double standards should be withdrawn in dealing with human rights issues.

Abusing the human rights issues for political purpose is in itself the biggest human rights violation.

The DPRK is firmly opposed to all attempts and actions to abuse the human rights issues for “regime change” of the specific countries.

The US does not recognize the national sovereignty which crystallizes human rights of our people. Such being the case, it is quite hypocritical that it finds fault with our “human rights issues”.

It is all the more preposterous to talk about human rights dialogue while preventing to the last ditch the DPRK as the direct party from participating in the meeting on its human rights situation hosted by the US.

The DPRK is always open to dialogue and cooperation for genuine human rights that have nothing to do with political motivation and hypocrisy in all their manifestations.

The government of the DPRK is willing to promote human rights dialogue and cooperation on an equal footing with other countries which are not hostile to it. It is also willing to facilitate technical cooperation, contacts and communication with UN and other international organizations in the human rights field.

Mr. President,

The reunification of the fatherland is the supreme desire of the entire Korean nation.

The DPRK maintains that the national reunification should be achieved not through confrontation of systems but by confederation formula whereby two systems co-exist in a country. It is the only way to prevent war and safeguard peace.

The government of the DPRK is sincerely striving both in words and deeds to orient and develop inter-Korean relations towards reunification through confederation.

As south Korea relinquished its military prerogatives to the US in its entirety, it does not even know how many weapons of mass destruction of various kinds that can destroy the Korean nation more than hundreds of times are now deployed on its own soil. As such, it should refrain from prattling about the unrealistic and fictitious proposal for national reunification copied from the formula of other countries.

Mr. President,

I would like to assure you that the DPRK will constructively participate in the delivering on Post-2015 Development Agenda at the current session, and thus make an active contribution to the work for successful adoption of the Development Agenda next year on the occasion of the 70^th founding anniversary of UN.

Independence, peace and friendship are the foreign policy ideals of the DPRK.

The DPRK will, as in the past, so also in the future, fulfill its responsibility and role as an independent UN member by steadfastly adhering to these ideals in UN activities.