Korea (Hansard, 18 June 1991)

§ Mr. Parry
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the application of the Republic of Korea and of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to join the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
We support membership of the United Nations for all the people of Korea. North Korea's recent announcement that it intends to apply to join the United Nations is a positive step towards breaking the impasse on this question between the two Koreas.

§ Mr. Parry
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in South Korea at the most recent date.

§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd
We believe that the Republic of Korea's human rights record has substantially improved since President Roh took office in February 1988.

§ Mr. Harry Greenway
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the Minister for Trade of the Republic of Korea to discuss trade policy; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Garel-Jones
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will discuss a range of trade issues with Dr. Lee Bong-suh during his visit to Britain this week. British companies are keen to trade with Korea, but there are problems, particularly over free and fair access to Korean markets. Exporters of consumer goods are faced with a wide range of hindrances, including high and discriminatory fiscal barriers. This applies particularly to Scotch whisky. Foreign securities houses applying for licences are subject to excessive capital requirements and Korea has not granted the Community's request for similar intellectual property protection to that given to the United States.
We understand from the Commission that when Vice-President Andriessen visited Korea recently, President Roh expressed to him the firm conviction that a solution would soon be found to the intellectual property problem. We shall remain in close touch with the Commission about the need to ensure that the Koreans live up to this. We also hope that there will be rapid progress in the other areas outlined.