Republic of Korea

Followed consultations on SSD in Geneva. Unsupportive. Co-signed the letter to Amb. Kongstad stating concerns with SSD and the Guidelines in May 2015.

February 2017: Meeting with GVA mission. It was very good that we had this meeting. They almost started out a bit nervous, concerned that we didn’t already know that South Korea had said it couldn’t support the Safe Schools Declaration. When I assured them that I knew, they then seemed to very much appreciate that we were still interested in talking to them about this. (Although I think we engaged with all of the other countries that signed the infamous letter saying “no,” I don’t think we ever met with the Republic of Korea on it.) They reiterated their view that it was aspirational, didn’t mirror international law, that they were “yet to grasp the implication of this divergence,” and more importantly, Republic of Korea has contingency plans in case of war with North Korea that involve using schools (“not as bases as such, but maybe to park military vehicles”). I gave our standard replies about it not being new law, that they can voluntarily choose to do better, etc. So, we both politely aired our positions. But then I told them that they’d still be welcome in Buenos Aires, and that really picked up their interest. He pointed out that Republic of Korea’s top three humanitarian policies are education, children, and women, so they really want to engage on this issue. So, they won’t endorse, but I think there’s a good chance they’ll turn up, and then we can do more follow up. I also hinted that some of the other letter signers seemed on the brink of changing their position. But I didn’t tell him who, so that he’d have to keep his eyes out.

March 2017: Attended Buenos Aires Conference on Safe Schools.

April 2017: GCPEA wrote to Foreign Minister.

June 2017: GCPEA Geneva met with a newly-arrived diplomat in the Mission of Korea who has been tasked with this dossier. He was a public prosecutor in RoK so this is his first diplomatic posting and he seems to still have quite a lot to learn. He asked very directly whether RoK was a country that we were especially targeting or if it was part of a larger advocacy effort. I answered that it was both – we are working towards more endorsements but that we have a specific interest in engaging with RoK because of their standing in the region and the fact that education in emergencies is a high priority for them. We discussed the famous letter and the fact that France and Canada have since endorsed. I noted that the letter had expressed hesitancy about the initiative’s potential effectiveness but that France and Canada’s new position indicated to us that they had been convinced by evidence of implementation to recognise the value of the Declaration. He explained that he is personally supportive but that there is scepticism in Seoul, particularly in the MoD. This, he ventured, is because some emergency response plans for dealing with an outbreak of open onflict with DPRK might include provisions for the military use of educational infrastructure. If RoK were to endorse the Declaration, they would have to review all of the plans and change them, which there is a reluctance to do from the MoD side. He asked what I was expecting of him. I asked him to share the information with his ministry, and ask them to consult with the other relevant ministries, to consult with other stakeholders, such as our member organisations or the ICRC, and to please come back to us with any questions that might arise. He asked about upcoming meetings and I told him about the next workshop. Interesting meeting and he indicated his personal support but he is very green and I don’t know how much we can expect him to move the issue along. (He mentioned arguing with his colleague in the Mission about the Declaration). I referred to the MIKTA initiative, which he was aware of. My sense is that there is still some contention around this work within the government so it will require some effort to change their position.

February 2018: In advance of OPAC turns 18 event, GCPEA issued letter highlighting that Korea has signed OPAC, Paris, and Vancouver, but not the Declaration,and calling for endorsement.

June 2018: Gisela, Hiba (Child Soldiers International), and Adrianne (Watchlist) met with Mr. Wook Jin Chang, Political Coordinator, and Mr. Choong Hong, Security Council Advisor. Mr. Chang was very interested in the issues, having previously served as personal assistant to Ban Ki Moon. He shared his experience of visiting destroyed schools in South Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, and other locations. Most of his follow-up questions were on the Declaration. He wanted to know why the Republic of Korea had not yet endorsed, and I explained the background. He also asked why the level of endorsement was so low in Asia. I responded that we expect that Japan and Korea’s position had most likely had a chilling effect on endorsements in the region, repeating that their allies Canada, France, and the UK has changed position, and called for Korea to show leadership on this matter, especially in their region. He said that the government had been preoccupied with matters on the Korean Peninsula but is now interested in playing a stronger role on the international level. I suggested that this could be an area where they could distinguish themselves, especially in light of their membership of the MIKTA initiative which indicates prioritisation of education in emergencies. He advised that Korea plans to run for the UNSC for a term from 2024-25. I followed up in writing, sharing a letter for the Foreign Minister. No reply.

September 2018: GCPEA met with the legal counsellor in the Mission in Geneva. It was the same man I met last year, who is ordinarily a public prosecutor. He was eager to manage our expectations concerning the possibility of endorsement. He is having difficulty engaging the Ministry of Defence in the ICRC IHL compliance process, not to mind the Declaration. He hopes to convince a delegation to visit Geneva as part of the IHL compliance track and promised to raise the Declaration with them if they come. He repeated the reluctance of the Ministry of Defence to change their contingency plans in the event of outbreak of conflict with the North which he suspects include use of schools (much like Japan). How the relationship between North and South progresses will be a key consideration. Like Japan, the position of the US is crucial for them as they cooperate on military defence. My sense is that endorsement is unlikely without the US onboard. Next steps: We sent a follow-up email. He advised that we should write to them again when the Save the Date for the Spain conference is issued as this will give a reason for raising the topic in capital. I asked if national civil society / youth-led campaigns like the one in Japan would be useful and he said yes, to a degree, but he essentially intimated that the Ministry of Defence is unlikely to pay much attention. He thought bilateral meetings in capital would be useful, however.

September 2018: Ahead of the UN WPS open debate, GCPEA a letter addressed to Foreign Minister sent to the Mission in New York. The letter encourages the government to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration and advocate for continued access to quality, conflict-sensitive education for women and girls.

December 2018: GCPEA met with the First Secretary, who was very nice but seemed quite junior. She listened carefully, but was briefed on the Republic of Korea’s traditional position. She had no update on any change. She took note of the Spain conference and promised to share the information with capital. GCPEA followed up in writing, sharing a letter for the Foreign Minister.

December 2018: Human Rights Watch made submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on South Korea. It asks them to encourage South Korea to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, and to also ask them: Are the protections for schools from use by peacekeeping forces included in the pre-deployment training of South Korean peacekeepers? Since voting for UN Security Council Resolution 2141 (2014), what concrete measures has South Korea taken to deter the use of schools for military purposes?

May 2019: Save the Children Korea collected over 1,000 signatures both online and offline, calling for the Korean government to join the Safe Schools Declaration, an intergovernmental effort seeking to protect children’s rights to education in warring regions.

May 2019: Participated in the Third International Conference in Palma.

July 2019: GCPEA (Zama) met with the Counsellor at the Permanent Mission in New York. He was well briefed on the Declaration but advised that Korea does not intend to endorse at the moment.

December 2019: After series of discussion in and out with the Ministry, and withexternal communications ( STC actually contacted the Parliament member office who has been working in foreign affairs), the treaty division at Korean Ministry has finally accepted that it’s their concern to discuss SSD and receive the petitions in hand delivered by Save the Children. They still want to make it a ‘small’ meeting and no media will be allowed, but it’s a progress than before that they admit it is their mandate to look at the Declaration. No picture is allowed. They will do some kind of photo stunt in front! or nearby somewhere at the symbolic place.

December 2019: Nevena wrote to the Mission in Geneva sharing meeting requests from Bede who will be travelling to Seoul on 28-30 January and would like to discuss endorsement with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense. GCPEA also translated in Korean the Declaration and the Guidelines.

December 2019: Save the Children Korea handed in 3,213 petitions to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec 23 2019 during a meeting. During the meeting with the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Save the Children encouraged Korean government to be more proactive in reviewing the Safe Schools Declaration and to endorse it.

January 2020: MoFA declined Bede’s meeting request.

October 2020: GCPEA (Yatasha) met with the Mr. Younghyo Park, Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN in New York to discuss the WPS recommendations, developments on the Safe Schools Declaration, and endorsement by the Republic of Korea. The Minister-Counsellor said there is full sympathy that the Declaration aims to protect civilians, particularly children and education personnel, and children’s access to education. The endorsement decision is still under consultation and this is taking time. The Republic of Korea noted the UK statement at the last CAAC debate (noting the UK was one of the countries that send a joint letter and since changed position). He also noted Malaysia and Vietnams endorsement. The Minster-Counsellor made reference to the disarmament agenda and the humanitarian concerns, they have not signed certain Conventions and that his country is in a state of war with the DPRK. GCPEA informed the Minister- Counsellor that ICRC can also provide some legal advice if necessary, and GCPEA is available to provide further information, and reference was made to the important recent global activities including the International Day and the Presidential Statement. GCPEA requested the Republic of Korea to share good practice on protecting education from attack. The Minister-Counsellor requested to approach the government ahead of the Conference to invite them (treaty division). He requested GCPEA to give them some time to have an internal consultation, and reflect on the recent developments.

June 2021: The representative showed interest and support in the Safe Schools Declaration. He said that the main concerns about endorsement come from the MoD and suggested that a meeting with an IHL expert might help alleviate some of these. He reaffirmed that his capital is supportive, in principle, of the content of the declaration and agreed to pass on key advocacy messages.

October 2021: co-sponsored UNSC resolution 2601 (2021), the first thematic resolution on the protection of education in armed conflict and to mention the SSD (preamble).

December 2021: On 08/12, Nevena and Apolline met with Mr. Dongkyu Moon the First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Korea. GCPEA provided a comprehensive overview of the Abuja Conference and its key outcomes as well as a succinct analysis of the UNSCR 2601, commending Korea for its co-sponsorship, and suggesting that endorsement of the Declaration would be a positive answer to the UNSC’s call in the resolution. The representative explained that since our last meeting he had spoken with his capital, and that they see positive aspects of endorsement but still have reservations regarding the Guidelines, particularly from the MoD. GCPEA explained that we could facilitate a meeting with the ICRC or the United Kingdom MoD to alleviate these concerns, to which the representative seemed interested in, so we followed up in writing with the contacts. The representative said that his capital was particularly interested in examples of good practice to share with his capital therefore we provided different examples and followed up in writing. He also asked about our engagement with Japan, Australia and the U.S., stating that his government wondered why important players like these had not endorsed yet. Lastly, we emphasized that Korea could play a leading role in the region to bring on board greater endorsement in Asia. The meeting was non-committal.

November 2022: Endorsed the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on 18 November during an International Conference hosted by Ireland, the leader and penholder behind the Declaration.

November 2022: Update on the champion states’ joint demarche with the 14 countries that co-sponsored UNSC resolution 2601 but have not yet endorsed the SSD: Joint démarche by the champions was done in capitals in Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Lithuania, and Lesotho, as well as through the Missions in New York with Comoros, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, and Tuvalu.

March 2024: On 18 March, we held the first country focused call brining together all GCPEA members and key allied working on/in a targeted country. A joint action plan was developed to convince South Korea to endorse and implement the SSD