Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Dec. 12, 2013 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have seven announcements to make.

First, the Government of the Republic of Korea sternly protests the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s posting of a nine-language video containing unjust claims to Dokdo, an integral part of the ROK territory, on its website on December 11, following its posting of a similar video clip on its website on October 16 and 31. The ROK government once again and strongly demands that all such video clips be removed immediately.

The Government of the Republic of Korea considers such repeated provocations by the Japanese government moves that make the ROK doubt its sincerity toward improving the ROK-Japan relations. The ROK government makes it clear that it will firmly respond to any attempt by the Japanese government to undermine the territorial sovereignty of the ROK.

Secondly, let me discuss First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kyou-hyun’s visit to the US and Europe.

Vice Minister Kim will visit Washington from December 15 through 18 to meet and exchange views with key government officials and academics of the US. He will also hold a strategic dialogue with Deputy Secretary of State Burns on December 17.

The Vice Minister’s visit to the US will take place at a time when the 60th anniversary of the ROK-US alliance is approaching its end. During the visit, the Vice Minister will exchange views with his US counterparts on key matters of mutual concern, including the situations in North Korea and the rest of Northeast Asia and discuss ways for the ROK-US cooperation.

Vice Minister Kim will then visit Italy on December 19 and 20 to preside over a meeting of the heads of the diplomatic missions stationed in Europe. In their meeting, the senior diplomats will conduct a comprehensive review of the diplomacy with Europe and its achievements since the launch of the new ROK government and discuss the future direction of diplomacy with Europe that goes in line with the ROK’s policy priorities.

Thirdly, the Foreign Ministry, which has worked for safe overseas travel by ROK nationals, will start providing service aimed to protect its nationals from financial frauds while traveling abroad.

The service mainly blocks illegal checks on ROK nationals’ credit information at home while they are overseas traveling.

The service to be offered in cooperation with Korea Credit Bureau (KCB), a private credit rating agency, will be available through the Foreign Ministry’s website on safe overseas travel (www.0404.go.kr) from today, December 12.

If those with plans for overseas travel apply for the “protect my credit” service, local financial institutions, including banks and credit card companies, will block credit checks while the applicants are overseas by referring to their travel information submitted along with the application. Should anyone attempt a credit check by using a traveler’s name illegally, an alarm text will be sent to his/her mobile phone.

This service used to be a paid service provided by a private company. From now on, it will be available for free to those who apply for it through the Foreign Ministry’s website on safe overseas travel. This service will mark a case of people-friendly service made available through private-public cooperation.

Fourthly, the launching ceremony of the 2013-2014 formal curriculum for the diplomat candidates will take place at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) at 9:30-10:30 am, December 16.

At the ceremony, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and KNDA Chancellor Yun Duk-min will deliver welcoming remarks. The event will also be attended by former Foreign Ministers Gong Ro-myung and Han Seung-joo and former Ambassador to the US Hyun Hong-ju, all of whom were recently appointed as the KNDA’s chair professors, as well as relevant members of the National Assembly.

The formal education program will be conducted for the first time this year under the new system for diplomat recruitment. It will be carried out at the KNDA with 43 diplomat candidates recruited through a selection process.

The KNDA will provide the candidates with the best possible education for them to enhance a sense of mission as public officials and effectively build relevant expertise and diplomatic capability through the year-long formal curriculum.

Fifthly, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Nabil Fahmy will visit the ROK from December 16 through 18. On December 17, Minister Fahmy will hold a bilateral meeting with ROK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and pay a courtesy call on National Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee.

On December 18, Minister Fahmy will deliver a lecture on the ROK-Egypt relations to diplomat candidates at the KNDA.

Sixthly, the Foreign Ministry will hold the second workshop of the Scholars Group for Public Diplomacy at Lotte Hotel, downtown Seoul, at 10:00 am-2:00 pm, December 17. The Scholars Group is composed of 16 foreign scholars who are working at colleges in the ROK.

After being appointed as honorary envoys for public diplomacy on January 29, the scholars have been presenting their diverse views on ways to boost the ROK’s public diplomacy in their contributions as well as seminars and workshops.

In the forthcoming seminar, the scholars will share their experience in relevant activities and discuss how they can contribute to the ROK’s public diplomacy.

In particular, in commemoration of the inscription of the “Kimjang culture” on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the seminar will feature a program aimed to help the scholars better understand the Kimjang culture and Kimchi.

In addition, the Foreign Ministry, taking the opportunity of the UNESCO inscription of Kimjang to widely promote Kimchi and the Kimjang culture across the world, will publish books titled Delicious Korean Story, Kimchi in Korean and English and use them for promotional purposes.

At the upcoming seminar, Kimchi expert Lee Ha-yeon will demonstrate the Kimchi-making process, where the scholars can have first-hand experience. You journalists are free to cover the event. I ask for your keen interest.

To give you more details about the Kimchi-making event, it will take place on the 36th floor of Lotte Hotel, downtown Seoul, at 1:00-2:00 pm.

Lastly, a MOFA-Diplomatic Corps Charity Concert will take place at the Foreign Ministry tomorrow, December 13. The event will start at 6:30 pm and is expected to last for one and a half hours.

With the year 2013 approaching its end, the concert has been organized to strengthen the communication between the Diplomatic Corps in Korea and the Foreign Ministry personnel as well as a public diplomacy event aimed to help those in need with charity fund collected through it.

The event will be attended by some 170 people including 50-odd Ambassadors to the ROK and feature performances by six teams from the Diplomatic Corps and four from the Foreign Ministry.

Those of you journalists wishing to attend the event are welcome to do so. As prior registration is necessary, if you wish to attend it, please let us know in advance.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: Japan posted a promotional video clip on Dokdo available in nine languages. To my knowledge, the ROK government’s promotional video on Dokdo has yet to be re-posted after it was removed due to its unauthorized use. I would like you to elaborate on the progress in the production of the Korean-language version of the promotional video clip as well as the video clips in seven other languages, which the ROK government mentioned that it would produce and distribute soon.

A: The ROK Foreign Ministry is producing a video footage to inform the international community of the historical truth regarding Dokdo as well as the ROK’s territorial sovereignty over it. The Ministry has held a number of relevant consultations within itself and with experts. The video will soon be posted on the Foreign Ministry website and YouTube.

Q: When will the video clip be available in foreign languages?

A: The Foreign Ministry will first post the Korean-language version of the video clip, which will soon be available in foreign languages, on its website and YouTube.

Q: Will it be made available within this year? Or, will it be posted early next year?

A: I am not sure whether the video clip can be made available in many languages all at the same time. It is my understanding, though, that its posting will start within this year.

Q: It was announced that the ROK and the US would resume their negotiations on defense burden sharing. Can it be construed as the willingness to make the upcoming round their last and to wrap up negotiations?

A: Right. Every time we have engaged in a round of negotiations, we have done so with the resolve to make it our last round. As announced to you, in their negotiations on December 10 and 11, the two sides had in-depth discussions on their shares of defense costs, ways to improve the system for the use of the finance, the total amount to be shouldered by the ROK, the Special Measures Agreement and its expiration date.

Despite some progress made in those matters, there in effect remains a gap in the positions between the two countries. So, the two sides will resume their negotiations on Saturday, December 14.

The ROK government will make utmost efforts to produce an outcome that is acceptable to the ROK nationals. In addition, it will do its best to reach a compromise as soon as possible.

Q: The title of the Japanese video clip on Dokdo indicates that Japan wants to settle the issue in a peaceful manner. The video also mentions that Japan has proposed referring the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) but the ROK has refused it. What is the ROK government’s position on this?
 
A: I see no need to go over this all over again as it is so clear. Since you asked, though, let me reiterate once again: There exists no issue that should be settled.
 
Put differently, Japan should stop making such unreasonable insistence over an inexistent issue. Japan should turn a wide-open eye to historical truth and stop its unreasonable insistence as soon as possible. That is the answer, period.

You mentioned the ICJ. When there is no issue, what is there to refer to the ICJ?

Q: With regard to the purported asylum seeking by an aide to North Korea’s Jang Song-thaek who was already dismissed from all his posts, what does the ROK Foreign Ministry know?

A: I answered that question at the previous briefing. We know nothing about it.

Q: What are the thorniest issues or stumbling blocks in the ROK-US negotiations on defense burden sharing? Does the situation look as if it would produce a compromise in the negotiations on December 14?

A: I surely wish that I, as Spokesperson, could answer your detailed questions in a way that is satisfactory to you. I am always sorry, though, that I cannot give you all the details about diplomatic negotiations before they are concluded.

Regardless, I believe that it does not conform to diplomatic protocols, nor is it good for ongoing diplomatic negotiations to disclose details that have yet to be agreed upon. So, please understand that I cannot give you more details under the circumstances. As I said moments ago, we are engaging in this round of negotiations with a determination to make it our last round. I believe that the US side would come to the negotiations on Saturday with such a resolve as well.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation