October 18, 2006

Letter to the United Nations Secretary-General concerning the UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Dear Sir:
This letter is sent to you by Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, a non-governmental organization established in 1994, which works to bring about friendly and cooperative relations between the Republic of Korea and the United States, and to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula.
We wish to solve the problem of North Korea’s nuclear program in accordance with the UN’s stated purpose and principles which provide for peaceful coexistence, the peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for the national sovereignty of UN member states, and equality.
However, the UN Security Council’s October 15 resolution no. 1718, in response to the DPRK’s nuclear test, is very unfair and endangers peace on the Korean peninsula.
Accordingly, this letter is presented to you in order to bring to your attention the opinions of Korean citizens and SPARK’s views on his question, as follows:
As you know, the UN Security Council resolution censures North Korea’s nuclear test one-sidedly.
Also, resolution 1718 prohibits the UN member states from selling or transferring to North Korea any military products or technology related to North Korea’s nuclear program and missiles, as well as military hardware such as tanks, heavy firearms, and battleships, along with luxury goods.
Moreover, the resolution calls for the necessary cooperation of other countries with regard to the immediate freezing of all funds, financial assets, and economic resources that support North Korean’s nuclear and missile programs, and North Korean shipping.
However, the US is ultimately responsible for the fact that North Korea thought it necessary to carry out its nuclear test.
The US’s preemptive nuclear first-strike policy and economic sanctions, which aim to strangle the DPRK, have forced Pyeongyang to resort to its nuclear program and other self-defense measures.
Consequently, the only correct way to resolve the problem of North Korea’s nuclear program is for the US to abandon its hostile policy toward the North and to embark on bilateral talks.
Also, the UN Security Council’s first action should be to discuss how to make the US give up its aggressive, hostile policy against North Korea and to act in accordance with the UN’s purpose and principles.
However, the Security Council has not undertaken any action concerning the US’s hostile policy toward North Korea and has decided to impose one-sided sanctions against the North, which could cause great harm.
Furthermore, the sanctions include even goods that are not directly related to the DPRK’s nuclear program, and call for inspections of cargo, which could lead to armed clashes.
The real purpose of the sanctions is to retaliate against North Korea and isolate it.
Thus the Security Council resolution is not impartial and may open the way to military sanctions.
Resolution 1718 immeasurably increases the danger that war might break out on the Korean peninsula.
The US plans to use the Security Council resolution as a pretext for pressing South Korea to participate in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
As you are aware, the PSI creates the possibility that the international law of the sea will be violated, in addition to violating the terms of the cease-fire which ended the Korean War.
North Korea rejected resolution 1718 and said that it would regard it as a declaration of war.
If there is an increased danger of war on the Korean peninsula, the Security Council which passed this resolution will bear the greatest responsibility.
We urge the Security Council to take the initiative to facilitate North Korean-US bilateral dialogue ad negotiations on each other’s interests and concerns, thereby resolving the problems by peaceful means.
Further, we urge the Security Council to implement resolution 3390 B, which was approved by the General Assembly in 1975, to dissolve the UN Command in Korea, and to establish a peace forum as provided for in the 6-party joint statement of September 2005, where the two Koreas, China, and the US can meet and hold negotiations leading to a peace treaty.


Fr. Moon Kyu Hyeong 
Rev. Hong Keun Soo
Co-representatives
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea