1. On January 15, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth from the US state of Illinois and Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego from the US state of of Arizona, who were on a visit to the Republic of Korea. In their meeting, the two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual concern, including the ROK-US alliance, the North Korean nuclear issue, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and issues concerning Korean adoptees in the US.
° The Senator and the Representative expressed firm support for the ROK government’s efforts to seek a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear issue; called their visit to the ROK an opportunity to reaffirm the ROK-US watertight combined defense posture; and stated that the US Congress will continue rendering assistance as needed.
3. Minister Kang shared with the US lawmakers the outcome of the high-level inter-Korean talks on January 9 on ways to make a success of the PyeongChang Olympics; voiced hope that North Korea’s participation in the sporting event, which had been agreed upon at the inter-Korean talks, will be a milestone toward improved inter-Korean relations and progress in the efforts to denuclearize the North; and asked for the US Congress’ continued attention to and support for the work to make the Pyeongchang event successful and peaceful Olympics.
* unofficial translation