Ambassador Sul received his Master of Arts in international political economy from the University of Virginia (1985). He received a Bachelor's degree in economics from Seoul National University (1981). In 2005, the Korean Government awarded him the red-stripe medal for distinguished officials.
(From the Mission Webiste) South Korea had a very special relationship with the United
Nations from its establishment. The UN first recognized the Republic of Korea as
the sole legitimate government in the Korean Peninsula through General Assembly
resolution 195 in 1948. Then, in 1950, the UN Security Council adopted a
resolution that deployed UN Forces to our land after the outbreak of the Korean
War. In the wake of the devastation of war, the UN offered us key support to
overcome the numerous reconstruction and developmental challenges. Indeed, the
UN has played a significant role in shaping once a war-devastated country into
one where democracy has taken root, economy is thriving, and human rights are
protected.
In 1991, the Republic of Korea became a Member State of the UN. Since then, Korea has actively participated in UN activities and engaged in a variety of global issues such as economic development, human rights, international peace and security, and climate change. For instance, Korea first served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1996, and since 2013, is now serving on the Council for a second time. Korea also held the Presidency of the General Assembly in 2001. Additionally, it has been active members in the Economic and Social Council, the Human Rights Council, the UN Women Executive Board, and other major bodies such as the Rio+20 Preparatory Committee. These active roles have stemmed from the desire of the Korean people to work toward peace and prosperity as a responsible member of the global community. We believe that the Member States of the UN recognized these efforts as they elected a Korean, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, as the Secretary-General of the UN in 2007.
Korea’s current foreign policy vision, entitled the “Era of Global Happiness,” represents our continued efforts towards realizing a better world. Since the inauguration of President Park Geun-hye in February of 2013, she and her administration have pursued this forward-thinking policy initiative to strengthen linkages between national growth and individual happiness, with Korea’s happiness and the larger happiness of our world. This vision resulted from the contemplation of how Korea came this far, how much help it received from the international community, and how we would meet increasingly pressing challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and the polarization of wealth.
The Korean government wishes to utilize the UN as the primary forum of multilateralism in order to solve the various global challenges of today. As a member of the Security Council for 2013-2014, Korea will join others in tackling security issues that range from regional conflicts and peacekeeping, tothe protection of civilians in armed conflicts, especially women and children. Furthermore, Korea would like to contribute to discussing development agendas by sharing with others the lessons learned from our own experiences of rapid industrialization and democratization.
