1. On August 19, First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong, in his capacity as acting Foreign Minister, met with Chairman of the US Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy Cory Gardner. They exchanged views on ways to strengthen the ROK-US alliance, as well as the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, including North Korea and its nuclear issue.

2. Vice Minister Cho welcomed Senator Gardner’s visit to the ROK, and stated that the ROK-US alliance, which is a linchpin of the ROK’s diplomacy, has successfully evolved over the past 60 years. In particular, expressing his hope that the ROK-US summit scheduled for October will serve as a good opportunity to discuss ways to develop the ROK-US alliance in a future-oriented direction, Vice Minister Cho requested Senator Gardner’s continued support for the development of the ROK-US alliance.

o Senator Gardner said that the ROK-US alliance is advancing beyond cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and regional issues, and developing into a global partnership in such areas as cybersecurity and healthcare security, to promote peace and prosperity in the international community. Stating that in June, he proposed a resolution welcoming President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the US, the Senator said that he will move ahead with the resolution again ahead of President Park’s visit to the US in October.

3. Expressing concern over North Korea’s landmine attack in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and upgrading of nuclear capabilities, Vice Minister Cho said that the ROK and the US have closely coordinated on the North Korean nuclear issue, while sternly responding to North Korea’s provocations and threats based on their strong allied defense capabilities.

o Furthermore, Vice Minister Cho said that the ROK government is participating in global efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, and as part of the efforts, the ROK plans to actively support the activities of the UN human rights office which opened in the ROK in June.

4. Agreeing on the importance of resolving the North Korean issues, including its nuclear issue, Senator Gardner said that the Senate Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy will continue to pay attention to the North Korean issues, including the North Korean nuclear issue and human rights, and continue to discuss them.

5. On the ROK-Japan relations, Vice Minister Cho said that the ROK government has been making various efforts to create a virtuous cycle of improved ROK-Japan relations, in line with a consistent policy that the ROK will actively pursue mutually-beneficial cooperation, while at the same time making a principled response to issues of historical perception.

o Vice Minister Cho stated that although the ROK government feels that the statement issued by Prime Minister Abe on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is lacking in some ways, the ROK will continue to exert efforts for future-oriented development of the ROK-Japan relations.

6. In response, Senator Gardner noted with appreciation that the ROK government is showing leadership in improving the ROK-Japan relations by making a restrained response to Prime Minister Abe’s statement.

7. Meanwhile, Senator Gardner said that economic cooperation between the ROK and Colorado has been further increasing since the ROK-US FTA took effect, and expressed his support for the ROK-US FTA.


*unofficial translation