1. On July 18, First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam, in his capacity as acting Foreign Minister, hosted a working breakfast for a delegation from the US Democratic Party, including Senators Brian Schatz and Christopher Murphy as well as Representatives Donna Edwards, John Garamendi and Ted Deutch. Over the breakfast, the two sides exchanged views on the Republic of Korea-United States relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Vice Minister Lim extended appreciation to the Senators and the Representatives in the delegation for their active participation in the US Congress’ discussions on the ROK-US relations and major issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea and its nuclear program, with keen interest in those issues. He asked them to make more efforts to win broader support from the US with regard to the ROK-US alliance and the former’s key policies.

° Vice Minister Lim brought attention to the fact that UN Security Council Resolution 2270, the strongest-ever resolution in the UN history that had been adopted in response to North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January, is being implemented by the international community and that major countries’ bilateral sanctions, including the US sanctions against human rights abusers in the North, are being enforced in efforts to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and induce it to change its behavior. He stressed that it is important for now to continue pressuring North Korea.

3. Senator Schatz, the head of the delegation, highlighted the pivotal role of the ROK-US alliance for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula amid the grave situation on the Peninsula, where North Korea repeatedly engages in nuclear and missile provocations and issues threats. In that vein, he hailed the recent ROK-US alliance decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the Korean Peninsula.

° The Senator mentioned that despite somewhat heated discussions on foreign policy in the US presidential election campaign in 2016, the US Congress, both the Senate and the House of Representatives, renders bipartisan support on the importance of the ROK-US cooperation across the board, including foreign and military affairs, economy and culture, which buttresses the bilateral ties.

4. Vice Minister Lim, calling the conclusion of the bilateral FTA as an occasion for upgrading the bilateral economic relations to mutually beneficial ties, noted that overall, the FTA produced mutually beneficial results for the two economies over the past four years in the full range of relevant areas, including merchandise trade, services and investment. He asked the US Congress to continue paying attention to and supporting the FTA.

5. The visit of the US Congresspeople to the ROK is seen to have served as an opportunity for the US Congress to learn more about major issues between the ROK and the US and to reaffirm its support for the ROK’s position.


* unofficial translation