1. During his visit to the US for a meeting of the Republic of Korea-United States Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) on December 20, First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam held a meeting with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and another with Korean Peninsula experts in New York on December 19. In the meetings, the two sides extensively exchanged views on the ROK-US alliance, North Korea and its nuclear issue, and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. In his meeting with Dr. Kissinger, Vice Minister Lim expressed the ROK government’s firm commitment to the further advancement of its alliance with the US and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He asked the veteran in foreign affairs and respected scholar to advise the incoming US administration regarding the importance of the ROK-US alliance and the need for the two countries to maintain watertight coordination on nuclear and other issues of North Korea amid the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

° Dr. Kissinger shared the Vice Minister’s view that given the current, fluid situation in Asia and the Pacific as well as North Korean threats, it is more important than ever to keep the ROK-US alliance steadfast. He added that as winning cooperation from neighboring countries is vital for the resolution of North Korean issues, he will underscore to the incoming US administration the need for close coordination between the ROK and the US to that end.

3. In his meeting with New York-based Korean Peninsula experts, Vice Minister Lim pointed out that the ROK government will seek tougher sanctions and pressure on North Korea over its nuclear issue; asked for the participants’ support for and attention to efforts to further develop the ROK-US alliance; and discussed with the experts on the policy toward Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, expected to be implemented by the incoming US administration.

° The meeting with the experts in Asia-Pacific affairs, who are expected to play a role in the incoming US administration’s foreign policy-making process, is seen as a good public diplomacy activity toward the US, during which the ROK paved the way for a stronger alliance and a closer coordination on North Korean issues between the ROK and the US during the tenure of the new US administration.


* unofficial translation