GEM Meeting in Korea

A group of high-level advocates of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) have gathered in Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK), to rally support for the Treaty’s entry into force and to highlight the threat posed by nuclear weapons testing. The group has issued a strong call for the CTBT's entry into force through the Seoul Declaration  [PDF].  

"The CTBT is a sleeping beauty waiting to wake to its potential," declared Yun Byung-se, Minster of Foreign Affairs of the ROK, as he opened the meeting of the CTBT’s Group of Eminent Persons (GEM) in Seoul, Korea, on 25 June, see speech. The two-day meeting is being hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK to consider the current status of the CTBT, identify ways to advance its entry into force, and assess developments pertaining to the situation on the Korean Peninsula and their implications for regional peace and security.

CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo, who established the GEM - a group of senior statesmen/women, active and former politicians and internationally recognized experts - in September 2013, acknowledged Korea’s strong support for the Treaty, as well as the country’s commitment to broader nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.  In view of the ROK’s location next to the DPRK - the only country in the world to have conducted nuclear tests this century - Zerbo noted that the ROK is acutely aware of the dangers posed by the destabilizing and destructive practice of nuclear explosive testing. He also emphasized his continued commitment to establishing a dialogue and reiterated that he did not believe in isolation.

On 26 June the Group toured the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which was established at the end of the Korean War to serve as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The 250 km long DMZ is one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world.