UN General Assembly
2023

I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Dennis Francis on his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. Let me also pay tribute to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his dedication to global peace and prosperity. This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War armistice. After the invasion by communist totalitarian forces, the fate of the Republic of Korea hung in the balance. Thankfully, with the support of United Nations forces, the nation dramatically defended its freedom. The determined decision of Trygve Lie. the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, who viewed the armed invasion of the Republic of Korea as a challenge to world peace and led the effort to convene the Security Council to adopt resolution 84 (1950). intervening in the war. remains deeply ingrained in the minds of the Korean people. Over the past 70 years. Korea has risen from the ashes of war to blossom into a liberal democracy and a market economy. Today Korea is determined to contribute responsibly to the international community with the goal of promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, as championed in the Charter of the United Nations.