Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Apr. 24, 2014 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

First, the 2014 meeting of Consuls-General will take place from April 28 through May 1 with a total of 67 Consuls-General in attendance.

In terms of its topics, the meeting will focus on ways for each and every Consulate-General to ensure the safety and promote convenience, rights and interests of nationals of the Republic of Korea abroad.

To this end, on the first day of the meeting, a plenary session will take place to discuss safety measures for overseas Koreans. Building upon the lessons learned from the recent sinking of the Sewol, the diplomats will intensively discuss complementing the manuals used by the overseas diplomatic missions as well as conducting educational and training programs in order to properly use the manuals in emergencies. The meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to review the measures designed to protect overseas Koreans and further bolster the relevant system.

The Consuls-General will also have an opportunity to meet with the public to directly communicate with them. The Consuls-General will be divided into five groups, which will carry out activities of their own tailored to their nature.

The activities being planned for these groups include a campaign on safe overseas travel at Incheon International Airport; a visit to the Consular Call Center; an explanatory session on the Working Holiday Program; concluding a memorandum of understanding with the multicultural family support center in Guro-gu, Seoul, and the Overseas Koreans Foundation; and a visit to Sigong Media, a company that provides free educational contents to teachers at Korean-language schools across the world.

The 2014 meeting of Consuls-General is expected to serve as an opportunity for the Consuls-General to remind themselves of their duty to serve ROK nationals and companies abroad by ensuring their safety and protecting their rights and interests. The Consuls-General are also expected to take the opportunity of the meeting to renew their determination to reach out to people, protect and support them.

Moving on to the second and last announcement, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah will make an official visit to the ROK from April 29 through May 1.

On April 30, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will hold a meeting and luncheon with his Malaysian counterpart to discuss various matters.

The two Ministers, in particular, will exchange a wide range of views on ways to promote high-level exchanges as well as cooperation in economy, trade, culture and tourism. They will also exchange views on ways to work together on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula and at ASEAN.

The upcoming visit to the ROK by Minister Anifah will mark the first-ever official bilateral visit by an official from an ASEAN member state since the launch of the Park Geun-hye government.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: Yun Jong-seok, head of the Korean Cultural Center of the ROK Embassy in Germany, is said to have illegally gathered personal information on the Korean journalist, who criticized the ROK government in an article published by a German media outlet, and requested for the correction of that article. What, if any, does the ROK Foreign Ministry know about this? Also, what is its position in this regard?

A: I do not know about it in detail. Let me check on that.

Q: At the National Assembly today, the Foreign Minister spoke of a growing need to conclude an ROK-US-Japan agreement on the protection of military intelligence. Please share with us the exact position of the ROK Foreign Ministry in this regard.

A: An ROK-US-Japan agreement. I think that there is another government agency more directly related to this matter than the Foreign Ministry is. As you may be aware, a few years ago, the ROK and Japan pursued a bilateral General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) only to lay it on the table. It is my understanding that when the ROK government pursues this agreement with Japan, it will do so with the internal situation in the country taken into account.

Q: I have a further question. At the National Assembly today, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se made remarks to the effect that there is a growing need to conclude such agreement. My question is: What is the Foreign Ministry’s position on that?

A: To my understanding, the Foreign Ministry sees a need for it. Nonetheless, as I understand it, when the ROK government indeed pursues such agreement, it will do so, while taking into account the internal situation in the country.

Q: US President Barack Obama, who is on a visit to Japan, affirmed that the Senkakus are covered under the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. What can we say about Dokdo? Will the Dokdo issue be addressed during the US President’s visit to the ROK?

A: Are you asking whether President Obama has a plan to make the US position clear on this issue?

Q: Yes. Does President Obama have a plan to make the US position clear on this issue during his visit to the ROK?

A: What issue are you referring to by “this issue”?

Q: The Senkakus have been confirmed to be covered under the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. What can we say about Dokdo? Does the US side have a plan to discuss the Dokdo issue during President Obama’s visit to the ROK?

A: I do not know whether the US side has a plan to discuss and/or make its position clear on this issue during President Obama’s visit to the ROK. Any way, it is the ROK government’s position that Dokdo, clearly integral and inherent part of the territory of the Republic of Korea, is included in the “territories under administrative control of the Republic of Korea” in accordance with the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation