1. On February 26, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hong-kyun met with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel, and exchanged views on a range of issues, including cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the US to respond to North Korea’s provocations and to pressure the North, as well as ways to advance the ROK-US alliance.

o Deputy Minister Kim and Assistant Secretary Russel noted with appreciation that as the Presidents of the ROK and the US agreed, the two countries are working to ensure the adoption of a Security Council sanctions resolution on North Korea which includes the strongest and most effective non-military measures in the history of the UN.

- Regarding this, the two sides agreed to continue to work actively to ensure the thorough implementation of the Security Council resolution on North Korea, after it is adopted, and thereby to create an environment where North Korea realizes that it cannot survive with its nuclear weapons development and has no choice but to change. The two sides also agreed to maintain full preparedness for any possible provocations by North Korea.

o To do so, the two sides agreed to continue joint efforts towards the denuclearization of North Korea by making best use of various high-level consultations between the ROK and the US, the ROK and China, and the US and China, and strengthening strategic cooperation among the ROK, the US and China.

- As part of such efforts, the two sides also discussed ways to utilize various initiatives, including five-party talks within the framework of the Six-Party Talks.

o The two sides also exchanged views on ways to increase comprehensive cooperation at regional and global levels in order to promote a dynamic development of the ROK-US alliance.

2. Following this meeting, Minister Yun Byung-se and First Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam met with Assistance Secretary Russel, and took note that the ROK and the US, based on close cooperation, are working to draft the strongest UN Security Council sanctions resolution on North Korea in the history of the UN, and to pursue both bilateral sanctions against North Korea and international pressure in a mutually-reinforcing manner after the adoption of the resolution. Minister Yun and First Vice Minister Lim requested Assistant Secretary Russel’s continued role in those efforts.

o Assistant Secretary Russel made it clear that the US administration is maintaining its firm position that any dialogue with North Korea should address the denuclearization of North Korea as a top priority.

o The two sides agreed that now is the time to focus on making North Korea give up its nuclear weapons and missile programs through sanctions against the North.

o In addition, the two sides shared the view that the issue of THAAD deployment with US Forces Korea, being reviewed for defensive purposes against the North Korean nuclear and missile threats and the issue of the adoption of the UN Security Council sanctions resolution against North Korea are two separate issues.

3. Assistant Secretary Russel’s latest visit to the ROK came as part of various high-level consultations between the ROK and the US on North Korea and its nuclear issues in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test (January 6), including telephone conversations between the Presidents of the ROK and the US (January 7, February 9); the ROK-US vice ministerial meeting (January 16); Deputy Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to the ROK (January 20); the ROK-US foreign ministers’ meeting (February 12); and the ROK-US high-level strategic dialogue (February 18). This visit served as a good opportunity to examine ways to implement the Security Council sanctions resolution and to pursue cooperation between the two countries down the road.


* unofficial translation