Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Noh Kwang-il
Mar. 17, 2015 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have three announcements to make.

First, the seventh Republic of Korea-Japan-China Foreign Ministers’ meeting will take place in Seoul on March 21. In the trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting to come in three years since the sixth of its kind held in 2012, the top diplomats of the three countries will review the progress in the trilateral cooperation and exchange views on a wide range of matters, including the way forward for the trilateral cooperation as well as key regional and global issues.

The ROK government expects that the trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting will pave the way for restoring the trilateral cooperation mechanism back on track after three years of its being stalled and will help improve bilateral relations between Northeast Asian countries.

Moving on to the second announcement, the eighth ROK-Romania High-level Policy Consultation will take place at the Foreign Ministry on March 18.

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yong will chair the meeting, where the Romanian delegation will be led by State Secretary for Global Affairs Carmen Burlacu.

With the year 2015 marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two countries will reaffirm their friendly and cooperative ties and discuss ways to expand bilateral substantive cooperation in various sectors, including trade, investment, infrastructure and information technology.

Lastly, the ROK-China consular agreement will be brought into force on April 12.

Under the agreement, the two countries are to notify a consular agency of the other country of arrests and detentions of the other’s nationals within four days from the day arrests or detentions take place; grant a consular access to the arrestee or detainee within four days from the day the access is applied for; and immediately notify the other country of capital punishments sentenced to the other’s nationals and their executions.

The ROK-China consular agreement, when brought into force after being sought since 2002, is expected to help better protect the ROK nationals in China as well as their rights and interests.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: To my understanding, the ROK government holds the position that if the planned ROK-China-Japan Foreign Ministers’ meeting goes well, it will seek a trilateral summit. If that trilateral summit materializes, is the ROK government willing to hold a bilateral summit with Japan on the sidelines? Should there be no progress on the issue of sexual slavery victims drafted by Japan’s Imperial Army during World War II, will the ROK, as the chair country of the trilateral cooperation mechanism, be willing to hold a bilateral summit with Japan? Please share with us the ROK government’s position in that regard.

A: You have asked a number of questions, which I will refrain from answering as they relate to the future. As the ROK government has reiterated it a number of times, in the ROK-China-Japan trilateral cooperation mechanism, the highest-level meeting -- the higher-level consultative mechanism than the Foreign Ministers’ meeting -- is the summit meeting, which means that whether or not to hold it should be decided based on the outcome of the Foreign Ministers’ meeting. The ROK government, for its part, wants to see a trilateral summit happen. However, in the first place, the ROK government expects to see the trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting produce good results.

Q: I recall that you have spoken before about the statement to be issued by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In terms of the fact that the statement should include sincere expressions regarding the Japanese leader’s view of history, what specific expressions of apology for Japan’s colonial occupation and aggression does the ROK government expect to be included without fail in the statement?

A: I believe that I have answered that particular question a number of times. As the Japanese government has vowed to uphold the spirit of the Murayama Statement and the Kono Statement, it is the position of the ROK government that Prime Minister Abe’s statement should contain expressions that are on a par with the ones in these statements and that demonstrate Japan’s correct understanding of history.

Q: I have a further question. Could Japan’s sufficient expression of sincerity be considered a prerequisite for holding an ROK-China-Japan summit?

A: The ROK government has never said in terms of holding a trilateral summit. Again, in the ROK-China-Japan trilateral cooperation mechanism, the highest-level consultative mechanism is the summit meeting, which the ROK government expects to see happen, as it always seems necessary. That is all I can say in that regard.

Q: Recently, the ROK government decided to provide emergency assistance to Vanuatu, which had sustained damage from the powerful cyclone “Pam.” I have three questions in that regard. What are the exact scale, areas and forms of the assistance to be extended to Vanuatu?

A: The ROK government issued a press release in that regard yesterday. As I recall it, the press release mentions that the ROK will provide 500,000 US dollars and how it will do so. I do not have a copy of the press release with me right now. Usually, when the ROK government provides humanitarian assistance to a foreign country, it does so through an international organization, although I am not so sure about this case but guess that this case would not be different from others. I will check and let you know.

Q: In the ROK-China vice minister-level consultation yesterday, with regard to a possible deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in the ROK, the ROK government officially made clear three Nos -- no request from the US, no consultation with the US and no decision. Despite this, Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao of China, in effect, publicly expressed opposition to the possible THAAD deployment. What does the ROK government make of this situation?

A: What we told you before the vice minister-level consultation is that the THAAD issue was not on the agenda of the meeting. As you may be aware, in bilateral consultations, the two sides first focus on the agenda and then freely discuss other matters of mutual concern. It is my understanding that the Chinese side expressed its position on the THADD issue when the two sides were discussing matters of mutual concern.

What was your other question?

Q: Although the ROK government had already made public its three Nos, the Chinese side formally expressed opposition to the possible THAAD deployment. What does the ROK government make of the Chinese move?

A: Well, I deem that we should look into whether the things that Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao said to Korean reporters yesterday are expressions of a formal opposition. He said those things publicly, but not officially, I think.

Whenever the THAAD issue is brought up, there is one thing that the ROK government always says: The ROK is building its own Korea Air and Missile Defense system. 

With regard to the possible THAAD deployment, as the Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense has repeatedly mentioned in his regular press briefings, the ROK government’s position remains unchanged. The US government has neither made a decision nor requested consultations on the THAAD issue, which means that there have been no ROK-US consultations in that regard. That is exactly the way things are at this point.

I believe the Spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense has indicated that when the US government makes a request for consultations, the ROK government will look into the matter, with a number of things, such as the ROK’s security interests and the efficiency of THAAD as a weapons system comprehensively factored in. The ROK government’s position on the three Nos on the THAAD issue remains unchanged.

Q: According to a press report issued yesterday, like the US CIA's World Factbook map, the US Department of State omitted a reference to Dokdo in a map of Korea uploaded on its website, while marking it as the Liancourt Rocks in its map of Japan. Specifically how does the ROK government lodge a complaint in that regard? In its reports, CNN always refers to the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan as both the Sea of Japan and the East Sea. How does the ROK Foreign Ministry…?

A: The ROK government always makes its position crystal-clear on marking the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan as the East Sea and will continue such efforts. The map at issue was part of material on visa and other consular matters uploaded on the website of the US Department of State. To my knowledge, immediately after learning of the omission of a reference to Dokdo, the ROK government asked the State Department to rectify it, and the Department has done so.

Q: In his door-stepping session earlier today, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel made remarks regarding the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) that it should meet international standards, asking for improvements in its transparency and governance structure. I also heard that the two sides agreed to consult with each other with regard to whether to join the AIIB. What are the ROK and US governments consulting with each other on? What is the ROK government’s position on this issue, a decision on which should be made by the end of the month?

A: In terms of that AIIB issue, as it has mentioned before, the ROK government is in consultation with the US side, which is true. The ROK government has yet to set its position on the issue.

Because participation in the AIIB would incur considerable financial burden, the ROK’s financial authorities are looking into the matter in a very serious and comprehensive manner. The ROK government is aware of the “end of March” deadline. Anyway, let me tell you that the ROK government is looking into the matter from various perspectives, weighing financial and economic advantages and disadvantages.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation