President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a keynote address to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 20, calling the international community’s attention to the illegality and danger of the military deal between North Korea and Russia and calling for a united response.
In addition to expressing his country’s willingness to actively contribute to resolving challenges such as global disparities, President Yoon also called for support for the 2030 Busan World Expo (Busan Expo).
President Yoon said at the General Debate on the floor of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, under the theme of ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity’. President Yoon, who attended the UNGA for the second consecutive year, took the podium for the 18th time and delivered a 15-minute keynote speech.
“The war in Ukraine, which we have been witnessing for two years, has deepened the division of values and ideologies in the international community,” President Yoon said in his speech, emphasizing that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been further amplified by the war in Ukraine.
“In the midst of an unprecedented global complex crisis, the gap between countries is growing across all sectors, including security, economy, technology, health, environment, and culture,” he said. “In order to reduce these disparities and create a win-win situation for all countries in the world, the international community must stand together in strong solidarity, and flexibility must be at the center of this,” Yoon said.
“Despite the fiscal austerity, we have increased the size of the government budget for Official Development Assistance (ODA) by more than 40% in 2024,” Yoon said, “and we will use the expanded ODA funds to promote customized development cooperation with recipient countries.”
In particular, he announced the formation of the Carbon Free Alliance (CF Alliance), an open platform for the spread of carbon-free energy, saying it will widely utilize and share high-efficiency carbon-free energy (CFE) such as nuclear power and hydrogen, as well as renewable energy, as a realistic alternative to achieve carbon neutrality. Carbon-free energy refers to any energy source that generates electricity without directly emitting carbon. It includes renewables such as solar, wind, and hydropower, as well as nuclear power, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage.
President Yoon also issued a stern warning on the North Korea-Russia arms deal, saying, “Without international peace and security, we cannot achieve any development and prosperity.” He expressed his willingness to actively help Ukraine rebuild, saying he would implement a comprehensive support program covering security, humanitarian, and reconstruction areas in line with his pledge to the Ukraine Peace and Solidarity Initiative.
As announced at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi, India, on September 10, President Yoon also offered to provide Ukraine with a medium- and long-term support package of $300 million in 2024 and an additional $2 billion to help rebuild the country. “North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are not only a direct and existential threat to the peace of the Republic of Korea, but also a grave challenge to peace in the Indo-Pacific region and the entire world,” he said.
“It is self-contradictory that the permanent members of the UN Security Council, who are supposed to be the final guardians of world peace, are supported by regimes that invaded other sovereign states to wage war and provide them with the weapons and munitions necessary to wage war in direct violation of Security Council resolutions,” Yoon said, criticizing North Korea and Russia.
South Korea also pledged that as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, it will work closely with UN member states to fulfill its responsible role in promoting and building world peace.
Summit of 40-odd nations in all-out bid for 2030 Busan World Expo
Appealing for support for the 2030 Busan Expo, President Yoon used his speech to appeal for support from the leaders of more than 190 countries, saying that the 2030 Busan Expo will be a platform for solidarity.
In his speech, President Yoon devoted a significant portion of his remarks to the 2030 Busan Expo, and made a concerted effort to win over voters. Yoon’s emphasis on the Busan Expo bid comes as the last chance for heads of state to rally support with the final selection of the host city just two months away.
The UN General Assembly is the largest international gathering of heads of state and government of the 193-member Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), which has the de facto right to vote on the Expo host.
In his speech, Yoon described Busan as a city that brought Korea back to life after the devastation of the Korean War. “When most of the Korean Peninsula was occupied by communist forces more than 70 years ago, the city served as the last bastion of freedom and led the miracle of the Han River, rising from the ruins of the Korean War to become the world’s second largest transshipment port,” Yoon said. “Without Busan, the Republic of Korea would not exist today.”
“Now, as the gateway between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean, we want to actively fulfill our role as a globally responsible nation by hosting the 2030 Expo in Busan,” Yoon said, explaining the rationale for the bid.
“Through the Busan Expo, we hope to share with the world the high-growth experience that Korea has achieved over the past 70 years, and to give back the help we have received from the international community,” he emphasized.
“Freedom and solidarity are the pillars of Korea’s national affairs and diplomacy,” Yoon said, adding that the 2030 Busan Expo will provide a platform for global citizens to expand their freedom while overcoming crises together.
It was indeed a ‘super march’. President Yoon spent four days and six nights in New York City from September 18 to 22 (local time), where he held individual bilateral meetings with the heads of state of more than 40 countries to make the case for the 2030 Busan World Expo (Busan Expo).
On September 18, the first day of his visit to New York to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly, President Yoon met with the leaders of nine countries, including Sri Lanka, San Marino, Burundi, Czech Republic, Denmark, Montenegro, Turkmenistan, St. Lucia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Busan is the world’s second largest transshipment port and the gateway between the Eurasian continent and the Pacific Ocean,” Yoon told the foreign leaders, “and the Busan Expo will be an optimal platform to promote the culture, history, resources and products of the world’s leading multilateral expositions to the world.”
On September 19, the second day of his trip, Yoon held bilateral meetings with the heads of state of eight countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Monaco, Lesotho Suriname, Belize, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. President Yoon explained the keyword of the Busan Expo, which is to shift from competition to solidarity, and called for support.
On the third day of the trip, before and after his keynote speech at the UN General Assembly, he held lunch and a series of bilateral meetings with 11 countries, introducing Busan’s strengths as a host city and offering customized cooperation plans to each country. President Yoon met with the leaders of Switzerland, Central African Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Colombia, Hungary, Israel, Thailand, Bulgaria, and the Greek island of Aestini.
It was the first summit between San Marino and Burundi, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina since diplomatic relations were established. San Marino is a small country of 33,000 people. Despite its obscure name, San Marino is a member of the International Exposition Organization (IE) and has the right to vote on expo sites.
It is important for Korea that President Yoon has been engaged in a full-scale diplomatic campaign to host the 2030 Busan World Expo (Busan Expo) from the first day of his visit to New York to attend the 78th UN General Assembly.
Therefore, President Yoon’s diplomatic efforts with world leaders to secure the 2030 Busan Expo continue.
