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1. We, 13 Korean human rights and civic organizations, strongly condemn Sun Joun-Yung, the Korean ambassador of the Permanent Mission to United Nations in New York, for declaring, at the U.N. Security Council meeting on Iraq, which is being held from March 26, his firm will to support the invasion on Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom, by describing the attack as “an inevitable measure taken after the exhaustion of all possible diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue peacefully.”

2. Ironically, since the Korean government ratified the ‘Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court’ (the Rome Statute, hereafter) last year and to the point when Prof. Song Sang-hyun was appointed to one of the first judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Korean Permanent Mission to the UN New York Headquarters has been strongly proclaiming in public that ICC States Parties need to comply sincerely with the purpose and object of the ICC which aims for human rights, peace and justice.”

3. Depleted uranium bomb, which U.S. and U.K use recently in their war on Iraq, is a fatally toxic weapon that causes various cancers and defected birth even long after the war. Mass destruction weapons used for intentional attack, such as Napalm bombs or cluster bomb units, also cause a wide range of indiscriminative deaths and injuries to civilians. As already publicized, the U.S. and British troops think little of intentionally bombing civilian facility such as Iraqi television, which is not a military target.

4. These activities of U.S. and U.K are a serious violation of the Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions, which prescribes the protection of civilian persons and civilian facilities in time of war, and, furthermore, clearly stated as “war crimes” under the Article 8 of the Rome Statute for which the government of the Republic of Korea has been expressed their devotion and support to have a Korean judge appointed.

5. The government of the Republic of Korea is defending this anti-human rights, anti-humanitarian invasion and even committed to review its plan for troops dispatch to support the war. This ugly attitude is defying the purpose of the establishment of ICC in principle. Especially as a State Party of the ICC this cannot be tolerated.

6. At the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC, scheduled to be held starting on April 21, election of prosecutors, who will be in charge of indictment of ICC-related criminals, will take place. After prosecutors are elected, the ICC will begin its investigation in full-scale on the criminals taken place after July 1, 2002. Currently, human rights and civic organizations throughout the world are watching closely on crimes against humanity, war crimes, etc. which already took place or possibly will take place during the invasion war in Iraq, and preparing, along with careful collection of evidence, to present petitions against war criminals to the ICC and domestic courts which recognize Universal Jurisdiction.

7. We, human rights and civic organizations, are emphasizing once again that, if the Korean government continues to support this obvious criminal act, which apparently violates the Rome Statute, and further, dispatch its troops to support the war, the Korean government, will never be free from being indicted to the ICC.

8. To be able for the ICC to function its given role, the Korean government should take its role and responsibility seriously and do its best to make the ICC meet its purpose and object. We honestly wish the Korean government to stand strong for its status as an ICC State Party with an elected ICC judge, and urge as following:

- Sun Joun-Yung, the Korean ambassador of the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, should revoke his improper remark and apologize to the Korean people who eager for peace.
- Korean government must take every possible diplomatic responsibility to solve current Iraqi situation peacefully through U.N. etc.
- Korean government and the National Assembly must stop covering up the plan for dispatch for humanitarian relief activity.
- Korean government and the National Assembly must stop supporting the illegal attack on Iraq and immediately withdraw its plan for dispatch.

Catholic Human Rights Committee
Citizens' Solidarity For Human Rights
Dasan Human Rights Center
Green Korea United
Korea Women's Associations United
Korean Federation for Environmental Movement
Korean House for International Solidarity
Korean LGBT Coalition for Human Rights
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
People's Solidarity for Social Progress
Sarangbang-Group for Human Rights
Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights