Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Mar. 13, 2014 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have three announcements to make.

First, let me comment on the remarks by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga denying the forced recruitment of wartime sexual slavery victims by Japan’s Imperial Armed Forces.

In his press conference yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga, while saying the Japanese government would inherit the Kono Statement, cited the remarks made at a parliamentary interpellation session during Abe’s first term as Prime Minister and denied the fact that sexual slavery victims had been recruited through the use of force and that the Japanese military had been involved in it.

The Japanese government, on the one hand, says that it would inherit the Kono Statement issued in 1993 to admit to, express remorse and apologize for the use of coercion in recruiting its wartime sexual slavery victims. On the other hand, it denies the direct involvement of its military and other government agencies in the forced recruitment in contradiction to what it said in the Kono Statement. Such contradictory remarks inflict pain all over again on the surviving victims of Japan’s wartime sexual enslavement.

Furthermore, it is a derisive move toward the international community, including the UN, which has urged Japan to apologize, show remorse and offer compensation to its wartime sexual slavery victims.

The government of the Republic of Korea deems it deeply regrettable that Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga, who speaks on behalf of the Japanese government, reiterates such remarks. It demands that the Japanese government stop making such contradictory remarks right at this minute and honestly reveal to the international community its real intentions.

Moving on to the second announcement, the Foreign Ministry will host the third seminar of the Scholars Group for Public Diplomacy at Lotte Hotel, downtown Seoul, on March 16.

The Scholars Group for Public Diplomacy is composed of foreign scholars who are working at colleges in the ROK, including professor Brandon Howe of the Graduate School of International Studies of Ewha Womans University and professor Robert Fouser of the Department of Korean Language Education at Seoul National University.

After being appointed as honorary envoys for public diplomacy on January 29, 2013, the 16 foreign scholars have been presenting their diverse ideas on ways to boost the ROK’s public diplomacy in their contributions as well as seminars and workshops.

With the term of the current honorary envoys expired, 14 of the 16 scholars will be reappointed and three envoys will be newly appointed to the Group on the occasion of the seminar.

The honorary envoys will make proposals for and discuss various projects for boosting the ROK’s public diplomacy.

Lastly, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Barry Faure of the Seychelles is on a visit to the ROK from March 7 through 14.

On the morning of March 14, the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo will meet with Secretary Faure.

In the meeting, the two countries will discuss a variety of bilateral issues, including ways to expand fisheries cooperation as well as exchanges in culture and tourism.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: I have a question about the ROK-China Meeting of Directors-General for International Legal Affairs to take place later today. To my knowledge, at their summit talks in June 2013, the leaders of the two countries agreed to resume as soon as possible negotiations on the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the two countries. It has already been nine months since then, but negotiations still remain unresumed.

I would like to know whether this issue would be raised at the meeting today.

A: It is necessary for the ROK and China to resolve as soon as possible the issue concerning the demarcation of their EEZs. To this end, the ROK government is urging the Chinese side to resume relevant negotiations and reach an agreement as soon as possible. And it will continue to do so. Nonetheless, the Chinese Director-General to visit the ROK for the aforementioned meeting is not in charge of EEZ affairs. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, which handles EEZ affairs. Under the circumstances, I do not expect today’s meeting to delve deeply into this EEZ issue.

However, I believe that today’s meeting will serve as an opportunity for the ROK side to once again express interest in resolving this issue and propose to the Chinese side resuming negotiations.

Q: I have a further question. Regardless of the fact that a different department is in charge of EEZ affairs, why do EEZ negotiations remain stalled? Has a plan been set to resume the negotiations down the road?

A: As I understand it, for now, there is no schedule set for the next round of negotiations. Regardless, the ROK government is making continued overtures to the Chinese side that the negotiations be resumed as soon as possible.

Q: In his public speech on March 12, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se mentioned that any country possessing and/or producing unnecessarily large amounts of nuclear materials will be suspected of its motives. Although he did not pinpoint any particular country, is Japan one of such countries? Also, the US and Japan reportedly have differing positions on the planned operation of the nuclear reprocessing plant currently under construction in Japan. What is the ROK government’s position on this matter?

A: The remarks regarding surplus nuclear materials by the ROK Foreign Minister at the Symposium on the 2014 Hague Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) on March 12 were made to highlight the need to conclude the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) as a future challenge to be met for international nuclear security, disarmament and non-proliferation.

As for the issue regarding the nuclear reprocessing plant in Japan, the ROK government is paying keen attention to it.

Q: I have one further question. You explained the reason the Foreign Minister made the remarks. I would like to know whether Japan is one of the countries indicated in the remarks.

A: What I have told you is all I have to say in that regard. He made those remarks to highlight the need to conclude the FMCT.

Q: Does the ROK have a plan to raise this nuclear material issue at the forthcoming NSS?

A: The issue of surplus nuclear materials is not directly related to any of the agenda items of the upcoming NSS. Also, it is premature to foretell on which occasions the international community would discuss such issues.

Q: Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Saiki visited the ROK yesterday and held a meeting with his ROK counterpart. What is your assessment of the outcome of the meeting? The Japanese government seemingly hopes to hold a ROK-Japan summit on the sidelines of the NSS. How likely do you think it is for that to happen?

A: There was a ROK-Japan Vice Foreign Ministers’ meeting yesterday. It is my understanding that its outcome was briefed to you reporters in an appropriate way.

In terms of your second question, if Japan demonstrates a shift in its attitude and thereby creates a condition where constructive dialogue is possible, the ROK has no reason not to have dialogue with the country. However, it is the position of the ROK government that the leaders of the two countries should hold dialogue that will produce constructive results, and not dialogue for the sake of dialogue.

In order to create a condition where constructive dialogue is possible, the Japanese government needs to take sincere action as soon as possible with regard to the issue of historical perception and other historical issues.

Q: In his press conference yesterday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga mentioned that the re-examination work on the Kono Statement would focus on whether the ROK and Japan, when the Kono Statement was being written in 1993, coordinated the content of the Statement. In that case, the Japanese government would probably need cooperation of the ROK government in carrying out its re-examination work. Should the Japanese government ask for cooperation of the ROK government, will the latter accept the request?

A: I recall answering similar questions a number of times right here. I believe that you remember the answer I, as Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, gave to you. What is important at this point is resolving this issue. The whole world is demanding it.

The ROK and the international community, citing this issue as a grave violation of human rights and the dignity of women, urge the Japanese government to settle it as soon as possible. What is important and necessary is the settlement of this issue, and not re-examination. The Japanese government should move forward, not backward.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation