1. Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam held a telephone conversation with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan of the US on August 15, the first of its kind since the latter taking office. Over the phone, the two ranking diplomats exchanged views on ways to strengthen the Republic of Korea-United States alliance and to step up their policy coordination on North Korea.

° The Vice Minister and the Deputy Secretary, affirming the steadfast ROK-US alliance as the basis for deterring North Korea from launching additional provocations and for successfully inducing the North to denuclearization, agreed to beef up the two countries’ combined defense posture under the bilateral missile guidelines to be revised at an early date.

° In particular, Vice Minister Lim took note of the firm and balanced message the US had sent out with regard to the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Deputy Secretary Sullivan made it clear that as Secretary of State Tillerson and other US officials had mentioned on numerous, recent occasions, the US administration will seek a full range of diplomatic and economic approaches toward a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and will coordinate closely with the ROK, its ally, on all of the US responses and measures.

2. The two sides, noting with appreciation that the series of communicative steps taken by the Presidents, foreign ministers and the National Security Councils of the ROK and the US has served as a significant foundation for the bilateral policy coordination, agreed to hold in-depth high-level consultations to seek joint strategies that the two countries can implement as allies.


* unofficial translation