Page 210 - 2018 Defense White Paper

Technology Control Regime (MTCR) 38) in 2001 and the Hague Code of Conduct against

Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC) 39) in 2002. The MND has dispatched defense specialists
to relevant international conferences to suggest views on policy issues, and has thoroughly
implemented relevant obligations including pre-launch notifications and annual declaration

submissions, thereby strengthening the transparency of ROK’s missile programs.
The international community’s non-proliferation activities have expanded to cover not only
WMDs but also conventional arms. The member states of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) 40)

have agreed on guidelines and lists to control transfers of conventional weapons as well as
dual-use goods 41) and technologies, implemented them domestically, and voluntarily shared
information regarding the implementation. Since the ROK joined the WA in 1996, the MND and

the DAPA have reported weapons transfer semi-annually to the WA Secretariat while actively
participating in discussions on the creation and revision of control lists to protect the ROK
defense industry. The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) 42) that took effect in 2014 is the f irst legally
binding single treaty concerning conventional arms that control the transfers of 7 categories of

weapon systems, 43) small weapons, light f irearms, and ammunition parts. The ROK, an original
signatory of the ATT, ratif ied the treaty in 2017. 44) The MND and the DAPA have closely

monitored the implementation of the treaty while seeking to gradually improve domestic laws
and regulation that f it domestic circumstances in response to increasingly strict international
standards.

38) MTCR is an export control regime where member states voluntarily control the spread of rockets and unmanned
aerial vehicles capable of delivering WMD as well as related equipment and technologies. (MTCR: Missile
Technology Control Regime, established in 1987, 35 member states)
39) HCOC is a political commitment, in which states voluntarily subscribe to, that sets a code of conduct to prevent
the proliferation of ballistic missiles. It bans support for the missile development programs of countries that may
develop or acquire WMD. (HCOC: Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, established in
2002, 139 member states
40) An export control regime concerning conventional arms as well as dual-use goods and technologies. (WA:
Wassenaar Arrangement, established in 1996, 42 members states)
41) Items that have both industrial and military applications
42) A treaty that establishes common standards to regulate the international trade in conventional arms to prevent
their illegal trade and use. (ATT: Armed Trade Treaty, established in 2014, 99 parties)
43) Includes battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack
helicopters, warships, missiles, and missile launchers
44) Major non-signatories to the ATT include North Korea, China, Russia, Canada, India, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
The United States signed the ATT but has not ratified it.

208 Chapter 5 Development of the ROK–U.S. Alliance, and Expansion of Defense Exchanges and Cooperation