1. On April 23, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton, who is on a visit to the Republic of Korea. In the meeting, Minister Kang said that the Acting Assistant Secretary’s visit to the ROK will be an important opportunity for the ROK and the US to communicate ahead of the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits, and asked for continued close communications and cooperation between the ROK and US diplomatic channels in order to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue by successfully holding the two summits.

o Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton took note of the face-paced developments on the Korean Peninsula, and offered to further strengthen ironclad and close cooperation between the two countries’ diplomatic authorities to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish a lasting peace on the Peninsula.

o Minister Kang hoped that after Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo, whose confirmation process is currently underway, takes office, she will be able to communicate with him as early as possible. Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton expressed expectations for Secretary of State-designate Pompeo’s early confirmation, and said that the US also hopes that he will be able to communicate with Minister Kang as soon as possible, once he wins confirmation.

2. After the meeting, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu also met with Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton. In the meeting, they shared their assessments of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, and engaged in in-depth discussions on issues of mutual interest, including ways the ROK and the US can work together.

o The two sides noted that the inter-Korean summit scheduled for April 27 will not only mark the first in 11 years, but also become an important meeting that will lay the foundation for the US-North Korea summit. The two sides also agreed that as the North Korean side is showing positive signs, the ROK and the US need to continue to cooperate to make use of this historic opportunity and thereby to ensure that the summits become a breakthrough opportunity to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish an enduring peace on the Peninsula.

o Deputy Minister Yoon Soon-gu said that Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton is contributing to strengthening communications between the ROK and the US. Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton said that close communications and collaboration between the two countries’ diplomatic authorities as well as their NSCs are underway through her visit to the ROK, and regular consultations with the Embassy in the US.

o The two sides shared the view that as the roles of China and Japan are also important in making progress in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, close cooperation with the international community, including the countries, is necessary.

3. Deputy Minister Yoon and Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton exchanged views on issues regarding the ROK-US alliance, including a smooth conclusion to the negotiations on defense-cost sharing, and developments relating to the Indo-Pacific strategy of the US.

4. The meetings served as an opportunity for the ROK and the US to reaffirm their common positions regarding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and to discuss ways they can work together to address the issue ahead of the historic summits, and also contributed to further strengthening the ROK-US alliance.

* unofficial translation