Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
May 1, 2014 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I will make one announcement and then take questions you may have.

Let me discuss the planned visit to New York by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.

The Republic of Korea, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2013-2014 term, will assume the one-month presidency of the Council in May 2014 for the second time following its stint in February 2013.

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, as part of the ROK’s activities during its UN Security Council presidency, will preside over an open debate to take place at a UN Security Council conference hall on May 7 in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1540.

In the meeting, Minister Yun will underscore the need for a thorough implementation of the resolution aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and urge united international efforts to that end

He will also discuss with other participants ways to jointly respond to North Korea’s nuclear programs and threats of a nuclear test, an urgent and important issue in terms of international proliferation of WMDs.

UN Security Council Resolution 1540 was adopted in 2004 obligating member states to refrain from supporting by any means, non-state actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing and using WMDs. The ROK has been serving as the chair country of the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee since January 2013. As the outcome of the upcoming open debate, a presidential statement will be adopted to reaffirm the significance of Resolution 1540; urge efforts for a universal implementation of the resolution; and present a future direction for development.

During his visit to New York, Minister Yun plans to deliver a number of speeches. He will attend a UN High-Level Meeting on Culture and Sustainable Development on May 5. At the meeting, he will propose including culture as a cross-cutting agenda item in the post-2015 development agenda. He will also speak about the contribution of education, culture and the Saemaul-Undong (new village movement) in the course of the ROK’s development referred to as the “Miracle on the Han-gang (river).” On May 6, at the International Peace Institute (IPI), a New York-based prestigious think tank, he will explain to some 100 people, including foreign diplomats to the UN and those from the academic and media circles, the ROK’s policy regarding the Korean Peninsula and diplomacy for peaceful reunification of the Peninsula. Later in the day, he will attend the Korea Society’s Annual Dinner and deliver an address on the ROK-US alliance and its future direction of development.

Furthermore, Minister Yun will meet bilaterally with Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to mainly discuss the situations on the Korean Peninsula and Europe as well as ways for the ROK and the EU to work together at the UN and other multilateral mechanisms. Minister Yun will also meet with Standard & Poor's Chairman of the Sovereign Ratings Committee. He will also hold meetings with former US Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger and President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the ROK’s key foreign policies.

So, that is the schedule of Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se during his visit to New York.

[Q&A]

Q: I have a question regarding the issue of sexual slavery victims drafted for Japan’s Imperial Armed Forces. On April 29, Sejong University professor Park Yoo-ha hosted a symposium on this issue, where a number of opinions were presented with regard to the legal responsibility over the issue. Does the ROK government deem it most important for Japan to acknowledge its legal responsibility over the issue in order to resolve it? Please share with us the ROK government’s position in this regard.

A: As you may be well aware, the governments -- more specifically the Foreign Ministries -- of the ROK and Japan have started consultations on this issue. At the meeting, the ROK delegation explained to the Japanese side the ROK government’s position on this issue and strongly urged the Japanese government to resolve it. What is necessary at this point is for Japan to take sincere attitude and resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Q: In his interview with a German media outlet, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said with regard to historical issues that Japan cannot benchmark the post-World War II Germany in seeking reconciliation and apologizing for its atrocities. Please tell us what the ROK government makes of these remarks

A: I have read that press report. Should Japan sincerely hope to seek reconciliation and cooperation with its neighboring countries, it should humbly face up to history. It should also make efforts to convey to its victimized countries its heart-felt remorse and apology for its past wrongdoings.

Q: According to an analysis by 38 North, a US website specializing in North Korea, there has been a lot of activity in Punggye-ri, North Korea, while the tunnel entrance to its nuclear test site there is not covered. Please share with us information, if any, the ROK government has on the developments in North Korea regarding a possible nuclear test.

A: I have answered that question on a number of occasions. What I would like to stress to start with is that North Korea should change its way of thinking. Nuclear programs will not serve interests of North Korea. The country should immediately halt actions that pose a threat to global peace and stability. That is the path beneficial to North Korea as well as to the region and the rest of the world.

Regrettably, though, North Korea appears ready to conduct a nuclear test whenever it makes a political decision to do so. To reiterate all over again, North Korea should take a path beneficial to itself, Asia and the world.

To add, should North Korea happen to make the wrong decision again and conducts another nuclear test, there will be consequences, of which North Korea must be well aware. The international community and the ROK government have issued stern warnings to North Korea on a number of occasions, to which North Korea should pay heed.

Q: An ROK-Japan director-general-level meeting on the issue of sexual slavery victims is scheduled to take place in May. To my knowledge, ahead of this upcoming meeting, the Foreign Ministry’s Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs visited the House of Sharing to meet former sexual slavery victims in person. What is the significance of this move? Did the meeting with the elderly ladies help you find a new approach to the issue?

A: Officials of the ROK government, including the Foreign Ministry, have been continuously communicating with relevant organizations in efforts to address the issue of sexual slavery victims. In that vein, the visit to the House of Sharing by the Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs is nothing new. Anyway, as relevant consultations have begun between the Foreign Ministry officials of the two countries, the ROK government has resumed communication with people involved with the issue. Through such contacts, we get to hear their vivid stories, which I understand are used in determining our position.

Q: Going back to the symposium brought up earlier, the symposium presented the view that although the majority of former sexual slavery victims from Korea demand that Japan accept legal responsibility over their issue and provide them with compensation, there are some others who are voicing different opinions.

The symposium asserted that, although the ROK government wants this issue resolved in a way that is acceptable to these ladies, they actually had differing experiences and want different things.

It argued that the ROK, which has demanded that Japan acknowledge its legal responsibility and has sought the best, yet infeasible, resolution to the issue over the past 20 years only in vain, should now look for the next best, feasible resolution. What does the ROK government make of this view?

A: You have called what we have been seeking “infeasible” resolution. I think we should not be jumping to that conclusion. Regardless, the ROK government once again urges the Japanese government to make efforts to resolve the issue. As I said moments ago, the ROK Foreign Ministry is communicating with those involved with the issue in an effort to address it and in preparation for consultation with the Japanese government on the issue. We will work to resolve the issue, while hearing what those involved have to say about it.

Q: Does the ROK government consider it a requisite for Japan to acknowledge its legal responsibility for resolving the issue?

A: As I mentioned moments ago, the governments of the ROK and Japan have embarked on relevant consultations. I believe that the ROK’s position has been adequately relayed to the Japanese side in the course of the consultation.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.

* unofficial translation