UN General Assembly
2000

It is in this spirit that my delegation hails the thaw in relations between North and South Korea signalled by the June 2000 Summit in Pyongyang between Presidents Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae-jung. We encourage the two brotherly countries to continue on the path of reconciliation, which we hope will lead to the eventual reunification of the two Koreas. Meanwhile, we are here yet again to reason with the Assembly about the pressing need to reconsider its position with regard to the case of the Republic of China on Taiwan. At this moment, when we the United Nations are at a crossroads, when history is in the making, when we are talking about inclusiveness, universality, globalization, democratization — and the list goes on — it defies logic that a country of 23 million people, with all that they have to offer to the rest of mankind, is continuously barred from participating in the work and activities of the United Nations. The Republic of China has a national flag, national ceremonies and systems that are recognized all