Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Apr. 10, 2014 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

First, the government of the Republic of Korea extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family of the ROK national kidnapped and murdered in the Philippines.

Immediately after the incident occurred, the ROK government sent a high-level official to the country to urge an investigation and has worked closely with the relevant Philippine authorities. Likewise, the ROK police officer dispatched to the Philippine National Police agency, in a rare move, had fully participated in the investigation on the kidnapping case. Despite all these efforts, the kidnapping case ended in a tragedy, which we find very deplorable.

The ROK government is continuously calling on the relevant Philippine authorities to conduct an investigation in a thorough manner to find accomplices other than those already arrested. The ROK government will keep working closely with the Philippine side in this regard.

In addition, the ROK Foreign Ministry will send an interagency investigation team led by a high-level official to the Philippines to look into the situation. Based on the outcome of the probe, the Ministry will hold interagency consultations on ways to better protect ROK nationals.

Moving on to the second and last announcement, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will visit Mexico from April 13 through 15 to attend a High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (hereafter Busan Global Partnership) and a MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

As you may be aware, MIKTA is an acronym coined with the initials of the five countries – Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia.

The High-Level Meeting of the Busan Global Partnership, which follows up on the outcome of the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan (HLF-4) in 2011, is the highest-level international meeting on development. The upcoming meeting will bring together President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Angel Gurria as well as 100-odd ministerial-level officials from a number of countries.

On April 15, Minister Yun will deliver a keynote speech at Plenary Session I, which will review the progress in the implementation of the commitments made at the HLF-4. In his speech, the Minister will announce the ROK’s plan to contribute to the development of the Busan Global Partnership into an institutionalized mechanism.

Prior to the Busan Global Partnership meeting, Minister Yun will attend the second MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. MIKTA is a cooperation mechanism launched on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session last year. The member states of MIKTA are middle powers in different regions that share such universal values as democracy, human rights and liberal market economy and have willingness and capability to resolve global issues.

As I said earlier, the Foreign Ministers of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia will gather in Mexico City, Mexico, on April 13 and 14 for the second MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

In the meeting, Minister Yun will set forth guidelines for MIKTA operation and lead discussions on such issues as the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the post-2015 development goals, cyber security and climate change.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: I understand that the ROK government has one of its priorities on resolving the issue of sexual slavery victims drafted for Japan’s Imperial Armed Forces. But, there are many issues between the ROK and Japan other than the issue of sexual slavery victims. Is it the position of the ROK government that it will not consult with the Japanese government on other issues unless progress is made on the issue of sexual slavery victims?

A: I know that there are many issues between the ROK and Japan, about which discussions take place on various occasions. I told you before that the ROK and Japan are currently in consultation on details regarding the proposed bilateral director-general-level meeting.

Q: I have a related question. I understand that the bilateral director-general-level meeting is said, albeit not announced, to take place in mid April. Mid April is just around the corner. When will the meeting take place?

A: I have just told you that relevant consultations are under way. I believe that I will be able to share with you their outcome at an appropriate time.

Q: To my knowledge, the ROK’s head delegate to the Six-Party Talks Hwang Joon-kook will visit China tomorrow. Please tell us what specifically will be discussed during the visit. At their meeting in the US, the ROK, the US and the Japanese head delegates to the Six-Party Talks reportedly discussed the possibility of slightly lowering the bar for resuming the Six-Party Talks. I would like your explanation on this.

A: As already informed to you, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Hwang Joon-kook will visit Beijing, China, on April 11 and 12 for meetings with Chinese officials, including Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei. During his visit to China, the two sides will exchange views on the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s threat to conduct a nuclear test.

They will also discuss ways to work together to prevent North Korea from carrying out provocations. Furthermore, they will consult on the full range of North Korea issues, including its nuclear program and various possible ways to resume denuclearization talks.

As I understand it, the ROK delegation already held a meeting with correspondents stationed in Washington to give them a relevant explanation. It is the position of the ROK government that if there is guarantee of tangible progress toward the denuclearization of North Korea and of stoppage of sophistication of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, it will explore various ways to resume denuclearization talks.

However, my understanding is that with regard to preliminary steps, at their recent meeting, the ROK, the US and the Japanese head delegates to the Six-Party Talks did not discuss them in detail.

Q: Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Hwang Joon-kook will visit Beijing, China, on April 11 and 12. Exactly when will the ROK-China meeting of head delegates to the Six-Party Talks take place? Who will he meet with other than Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei?

A: I will check the exact timing of the ROK-China meeting of head delegates to the Six-Party Talks, as I do not have that exact information right now. With regard to Special Representative Hwang’s meetings with Chinese officials other than Special Representative Wu, the two sides are currently coordinating the schedule. I will let you know that as well when the schedule is finalized.

Q: In his meeting with journalists after the ROK-US-Japan meeting of head delegates to the Six-Party Talks, Special Representative Hwang reportedly mentioned that the three countries are mulling over exercising flexibility with regard to preliminary denuclearization steps North Korea should take. However, you have just mentioned that there was no discussion on preliminary steps at the recent ROK-US-Japan meeting. Can we construe the Special Representative’s remarks as the position of the ROK government only?

A: What I said earlier is that as far as I know, the ROK, the US and the Japanese head delegates to the Six-Party Talks did not discuss preliminary steps in detail at their recent meeting. To my knowledge, the three head delegates did agree, though, to explore various ways to resume denuclearization talks.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation