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1. On June 18, Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, who is on a visit to the United States, delivered an opening address at a seminar co-hosted by the Korea Foundation (KF) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) for about 300 opinion leaders, including those from political circles, academia, and the media in the US. In the address, Vice Minister Lim made an assessment of the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the historic inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits, and talked about the direction of the ROK government’s policy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish a lasting peace regime on the Peninsula.

2. Vice Minister Lim stressed that the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games triggered a series of positive developments in the situation, including the exchange of envoys between the ROK and North Korea, and the Olympics was followed by the historic inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits, where the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Singapore Statement were adopted. Vice Minister Lim said that the two documents will serve as important compasses that will lead us to our destination, which is the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the establishment of a lasting peace on the Peninsula.

o The Vice Minister also said it should be noted that the unprecedented top-down approach taken at the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits led to the adoption of the agreements containing clear political commitments to completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing a peace regime on the Peninsula, as well as the establishment of a relationship of trust and direct communication channels between the leaders.

o Vice Minister Lim also said that the main accomplishments of the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits include a significant reduction in the likelihood of a military conflict on the Korean Peninsula as well as the security threat posed by North Korea to the international community; commitment to the clear and common goal of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent peace regime on the Peninsula; and Chairman Kim Jong-un’s repeatedly expressed commitment to complete denuclearization, which was put in writing.

o In addition, Vice Minister Lim emphasized that in implementing the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Singapore Statement, the ROK will work to create a virtuous cycle between inter-Korean dialogues and US-North Korea negotiations in close cooperation with the US. He also made it clear that while implementing them, the ROK will continue to closely work together with the international community, including its regional partners such as China, Japan, and Russia.

3. Vice Minister Lim visited Washington, the US, at an opportune time following the historic inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits, and actively promoted among key opinion leaders in the US the historic implications and accomplishments of the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Singapore Statement. This contributed to helping the government and people of the US better understand the peace-building process underway on the Korean Peninsula, and gaining wider support for the process.

* unofficial translation