Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN

International Law

The Republic of Korea, as a responsible member of the international community, has actively participated in the international lawmaking process and acceded to most of the major international conventions.
A landmark in universalizing the rule of law and putting an end to impunity for the most heinous crimes was the adoption in July 1998 of the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Republic of Korea played an important role in the drafting of the Statute, which was signed in March 2000, and ratified in November 2002. We are working closely with other countries to ensure the success of the Court, by not only bringing criminals to justice, but also serving as a deterrent against future crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes.
The Republic of Korea shares the concern of the international community over terrorism as a serious threat to international peace and security. In this regard, the Republic of Korea strongly condemns all acts of terrorism, irrespective of their forms and manifestations and their alleged motives.An effective counter-terrorism approach should address all aspects of terrorism including strengthening law enforcement and state capacity building, denying terrorists access to weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction (WMD), suppressing the financing of terrorism, facilitating public-private cooperation, and defending human rights.
Internet-based business has become a ubiquitous part of the global economy. Accordingly, there is a growing need for international legislation to facilitate electronic commerce. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has played a key role in removing legal obstacles to the flow of international commerce, not least by promoting uniformity of regulation across countries. The Republic of Korea has supported the work of UNCITRAL, adopting wherever possible the conventions and model laws established by the Commission.
Maritime matters are a vital interest of the Republic of Korea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, is generally regarded as the universal charter code for ocean affairs. Given the centrality of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the global legal framework for the governance of oceans and seas, it is important that all activities in the oceans and seas are carried out within that framework and that the integrity of the Convention is maintained. While we welcome new state parties, we also wish to call upon those States, which have not yet done so, to join the Convention and its implementing agreements.The Republic of Korea strongly believes that the Convention should be fully respected and implemented by all members of the international community.