Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and has participated in all CCW meetings on autonomous weapons systems. The Republic of Korea does not currently support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.

In December 2025, Republic of Korea voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/57 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Mindful of the challenges and concerns autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, Resolution 80/57 stresses the urgent need for the CCW to address the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties of the CCW to ‘work towards completing the set of elements for an instrument being developed within the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts, with a view to future negotiation.’

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Republic of Korea voted in favour of Draft Resolution L.77 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Draft Resolution L.77 raises concerns about the ‘negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability’ and stresses ‘the importance of the role of humans in the use of force to ensure responsibility and accountability and for States to comply with international law.’ It also notes ‘the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to urgently conclude negotiations of a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations for autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach.’ The Resolution will convene open informal consultations in 2025 over two days in New York, ‘to consider the report of the Secretary-General in full complementarity with and in a manner that supports the fulfilment of the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts in order to further the international community’s understanding of the issues involved by discussing the full range of views received, including proposals and relevant aspects raised in the report that may thus far not have been discussed in detail in the Group of Governmental Experts.’

Republic of Korea made a submission to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to Resolution 78/241 on autonomous weapons systems in May 2024.

In December 2023, Republic of Korea voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Resolution 78/241 stressed the ‘urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems’, and mandated the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report, reflecting the views of member and observer states on autonomous weapons systems and ways to address the related challenges and concerns they raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force.

At the 78th UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, the Republic of Korea said that it ‘concurs that the GGE on LAWS should continue its efforts to reach consensus on a normative and operational framework on emerging technologies in this area.'^[1]Statement by Republic of Korea, 23 October 2023, https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17af7v4g1

At the 2022 UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, the Republic of Korea said that it ‘remains committed to the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which strikes a balance between security concerns and humanitarian considerations of States Parties.'^[2]Statement by the Republic of Korea, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 21 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/21Oct_ROK.pdf

At the 2021 United Nations General Assembly First Committee meeting, the Republic of Korea said that it expects ‘that the global community will continue to promote responsible behaviours’ with regard to the issue of autonomous weapons systems.’ ^[3]Statement by the Republic of Korea, UN General Assembly First Committee, 05 October 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com21/statements/5Oct_ROK.pdf

At the 2021 meeting of the GGE on LAWS, the Republic of Korea acknowledged that ‘questions have been raised’ regarding whether the international humanitarian law principles for the protection of civilians  – ‘distinction, proportionality and precautions’ can be ‘fully applied to the use of potential LAWS’, and noted that ‘it is also true that there has not yet clarity regarding the accountability chain of IHL in areas in which autonomous technologies are being applied.’ However, the Republic of Korea stated that ‘this should not make us jump to any hasty conclusions’.^[4]Statement by the Republic of Korea, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-03-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to … Continue reading

In 2020 at the UNGA First Committee, the Republic of Korea stated that ‘we hope that the collective efforts through the GGE process will continue until a consensus on normative and operative frameworks on emerging technologies is reached.’^[5]Statement by the Republic of Korea, UN General Assembly First Committee, 09 October 2020, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com20/statements/9Oct_ROK.pdf

At the 2018 meeting of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS), the Republic of Korea stated that ‘it is premature to discuss a legally binding instrument at this stage.’^[6]Statement by the Republic of Korea, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 13 April 2018, … Continue reading

The Republic of Korea is involved in the development, testing and use of weapon systems with autonomous functions.^[7]See, for example, SIPRI (2017), Mapping the development of autonomy in weapon systems, … Continue reading