Press Briefing
Cho Tai-young, Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations
Sep. 13, 2012 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today's Briefing.

First of all, I will begin with the Spokesperson’s statement on the attack of the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The Government of the Republic of Korea strongly condemns the attack on the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his colleagues, on September 11. We offer our deepest condolences to the victims, their families and the people of the US.

The Government of the Republic of Korea condemns in the strongest terms any and all forms of violence against diplomats and diplomatic facilities, and calls upon the Libyan government to take all necessary measures to protect the premises and personnel of foreign missions. The ROK government strongly hopes that such tragic events would not recur, while it continues to support the Libyan people's longing for stability and development.

The ROK government is committed to working with the Libyan Government, the United States and the international community to support Libya's reconstruction process to achieve its political stability, democratization and prosperity in the earliest time possible.

Next announcement is on the measures we will take.

Regarding the incident in Libya, we are going to send a letter of condolences to the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, signed by Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan.

In addition, the Foreign Ministry has given instructions to examine strengthening the safety measures of the diplomatic offices and the protection of Korean nationals in Libya. We also handed down similar directions to other offices in Islamic countries.

Currently, Libya is designated as a country with travel restriction. So please refrain from traveling to Libya, particularly to Benghazi, as much as possible.

As other incidents of unrest are also occurring in other Islamic countries, I request ROK citizens who are staying or travelling in those regions to pay special heed to your safety.

Third announcement is on the 1st Senior Officials’ Meeting among ROK-Pacific Islands.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will host the 1st Korea-Pacific Islands Senior Officials’ Meeting in Seoul from September 17 to 20. Some 40 senior-level delegates from 14 Pacific island nations will attend the Meeting. The ROK’s head delegate will be Park Hae-yun, Director-general for South Asian and Pacific Affairs.

The ROK government held the 1st Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2011, to establish a cooperation mechanism with Pacific Island countries. This Meeting is held every three years. Annual Senior Officials’ Meetings are held during the years when there is no Foreign Minister’ Meeting.

At the meeting, participants review progress on the implementation of points agreed at the previous meeting. They also discuss ways to work with other countries in the sectors of development, fisheries, energy and resources.

Fourth announcement is the news on the dispatch of the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Public-Private Cooperation delegation to Central America. From September 16 to 26, the Foreign Ministry will send the ICT Public-Private Cooperation delegation to Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. The team will consist of officials from six central governments and other government-affiliated organizations as well as private companies.

The delegation will hold the ICT Cooperation Forum in the countries they will visit and meet with local dignitaries. There, we will promote the excellence of our information and communication technology. We will also explore the possibility for entry of ROK enterprises’ into the local market and of expanding cooperation with Central American countries.

Fifth news is on the ASEAN + 3 Summit and the East Asia Summit.

The ASEAN + 3 Summit and the East Asia Summit will be held in Cambodia on September 14. From our side, Deputy Minister Kim Kyou-hyun for Political Affairs will be attending.
At the meeting, there will be an examination on the preparation progress for the 15th ASEAN + 3 Summit and the 7th East Asia Summit that will be held in November.

Lastly, there is news on the Foreign Ministry’s social broadcasting service.

On September 17, the Ministry will launch ‘Live MOFAT’, the Ministry’s social broadcasting service using SNS, to provide our people with a channel of interactive communication. It will broadcast various contents such as the Ministry’s news, overseas travel information, episodes of diplomats, and introduction of foreign cultures, etc.

Live MOFAT will be carried out in diverse formats, including talk shows, social briefings, discussions, etc. You can take part in this interactive broadcasting service on a real-time basis through SNS.

The first episode will be aired on September 17, at 17:00 p.m. Our first guest will be a university student who visited our overseas missions in four European countries for diplomatic experience last June. He will introduce his experience.

You can hear the service real-time on the Ministry’s Facebook page, website and through the Internet Broadcasting service.

This is all for my opening statement.

[Q&A]

Q: You mentioned certain measures being taken by the Korean government with regard to unrest in Libya. Can you give us more information on the current situation of ROK nationals in Libya? Is there anything else you have grasped so far about the situation there? Currently, Libya is a region with travel alert level 3. Are you reviewing any practical measures such as imposing travel ban on the country?

A: So far, there has been no report on any injury or damage carried out on Korean residents in Libya. Secondly, we are not considering raising the level of restriction as for now.

Q: According to domestic news, namely Yonhap news, there will be an East Asia Cooperation Dialogue Forum at the end of this month in China. And I heard that the Ministers of the Six-Party Talks, the ROK and US government officials, as well as relevant experts are attending this forum. Does the ROK have any plan to attend?

A: Yes, we will. Every year, the government has sent Deputy Heads of the Six-Party Talks, Director-general level delegates to this forum. I believe it will be likely so this year as well, even though it hasn't been determined yet.

Q: I have a question on North Korea’s nuclear issue. There was a report by Yonhap news on North Korea’s enactment of a Nuclear Facility Safety Control Act. Is this true?

A: That needs verification. We will explain it later, when we have more concrete information on that report.


*unofficial translation