Korea-UN Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Meeting: "Urgent Need to Prepare for New Technology Weapon Systems... International Norms Must Be Established"

Discussion on the Impact of New Technologies on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Regimes... Industry Representatives Also Attend

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The 19th Korea-UN Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Conference, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, was held from the 2nd to the 4th, connecting Seoul with the rest of the world.

Ham Sang-wook, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, delivered opening remarks representing the Korean government and the United Nations, respectively. Over 50 participants, including key government officials from major countries, representatives of international organizations, and disarmament and non-proliferation experts from home and abroad, attended both online and offline.

Notably, for the first time, industry representatives participated in the conference, providing new perspectives on the development direction of emerging technologies, and a special youth session was held to hear the voices of the future generation.

At this conference, participants focused on discussing the impact and policy implications of emerging technologies such as △lethal autonomous weapons, △hypersonic weapons, △space-related weapons, and △biological weapons on the disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

Participants agreed that as strategic technological development competition among major countries accelerates, the emergence of dual-use emerging technologies applicable to both military and civilian purposes will have profound ripple effects not only on diplomacy, military security, and the economy but also from a humanitarian perspective. Therefore, the development, use, and proliferation of weapon systems based on emerging technologies have become urgent tasks for the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

Accordingly, they expressed views that the international community should seek a common understanding on responsible technology development and utilization, promote the peaceful use of science and technology, and develop international norms to prevent arms races and proliferation.

In the special youth session, 25 youth representatives attended, including △Youth Model NPT Representative (Korea), △Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Youth Group Representative (Burundi), △Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Champions Group Representative (Turkey), △Science and Technology STEM Student Group (Singapore), and △Northeast Asia Youth and Peace Security Representative (Japan), emphasizing the need to expand youth participation and roles in international disarmament and non-proliferation discussions.

The Korean Youth Model NPT Representative drew attention by proposing △the development of emerging technologies and the role of democracy, △preemptive measures, and △the necessity of strengthening multilateralism. The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs evaluated Korea’s proactive contributions to major international discussions through the Korea-UN Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Conference, which will mark its 20th anniversary next year, as well as its efforts to increase youth engagement following the leadership in the ‘Youth and Disarmament’ resolution at last year’s UN General Assembly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.