1. During his visit to the US, Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam held an interview with the “PBS NewsHour,” a US media program, on June 18, local time. In the interview, he hailed the outcome of the recent US-North Korea summit talks and relevant future plans, and shared with the viewers the Republic of Korea government’s efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula.

※ The interview was aired at 18:25-18:35, June 18, local time.

※ The “PBS NewsHour,” the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)’s major news program, is aired across the US five days a week through the PBS’ 300 regional stations.

2. Vice Minister Lim attached significance to the US-North Korea summit meeting, saying that the leaders of the US and North Korea held a summit meeting for the first time in history, signed a joint statement and thereby laid a meaningful foundation for progress toward the denuclearization of North Korea. He went on to voice hope that the two countries would start follow-up negotiations as soon as possible to seek a complete and swift implementation of the joint statement adopted in Singapore.

° Asked about what measures the US government could take to guarantee security of North Korea and thereby to induce the latter’s complete denuclearization, the Vice Minister, calling the proposed declaration of an end to the Korean War an expression of a political commitment to building a peace regime based on enhanced mutual trust, mentioned that it will be a useful tool for inducing North Korea to take denuclearization steps and for expediting the establishment of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.  

° With regard to the proposed suspension of the ROK-US joint military exercises, the Vice Minister stressed that the two countries are in close coordination with each other, reaffirming the US government’s position that those exercises could remain halted while dialogue with North Korea is under way in good faith.   

* unofficial translation