1. The Government of the Republic of Korea welcomes the accession of the Republic of South Sudan to the UN as its 193th member with the unanimous support of the UN General Assembly on July 14.

* Korea took part in the adoption of the resolution authorizing South Sudan’s UN accession by presenting a joint proposal for the resolution.

2. The Government of the Republic of Korea had sent Minister for Special Affairs Lee Jae-oh as special envoy of President Lee Myung-bak to South Sudan to attend the country’s independence celebrations held on July 9 and to forge diplomatic relations between the two countries.

3. The Government of the Republic of Korea expects the Republic of South Sudan to resolve its pending issues with North Sudan in a harmonious manner through dialogue and negotiations and thereby lay a foundation for peace and stability under the leadership of President Salva Kiir. Also, the Korean government, based on its development experience and along with the international community, plans to render strong support to the South Sudanese government in its nation-building efforts.

                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFAT

* unofficial translation