Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Noh Kwang-il
Apr. 23, 2015 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

For starters, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul will preside over an interagency meeting on foreign grants on April 28, where officials from 30-odd government agencies will finalize the interagency coordination on foreign grant projects for the year 2016.

The Foreign Ministry convened a total of seven sub-committees from April 21 through 23 to review, consult on and fine-tune the grant projects that each government agency is planning to conduct in 2016.

The interagency meeting on foreign grants, held on an annual basis since 2011, is the platform for review of and consultation on foreign grant projects to be pursued in the following year by the government agencies related to grant projects.

Moving on to the second and last announcement, the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will take place in the US from April 27 through May 22.

In the meeting, the participants will review the progress in the implementation of the NPT over the past five years since its last round in 2010 and discuss ways to bolster the NPT regime; move nuclear disarmament forward; and set up a weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-free zone in the Middle East.

Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Shin Dong-ik of the Foreign Ministry will attend the meeting in his capacity as head delegate from the government of the Republic of Korea. At the meeting, he will seek to win closer cooperation from the parties to the NPT in a bid for North Korea -- which is violating obligations under the safeguards agreement of the NPT and that with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and thereby posing a serious threat to the international non-proliferation regime -- to achieve a complete and verifiable denuclearization; fulfill its relevant obligations; and return to the NPT as soon as possible.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Xi Jinping of China held a meeting yesterday. What does the ROK government think of China and Japan improving their relations? Some raise concern over the possible isolation of the ROK amid this. What does the ROK government make of such concern?

A: The ROK government consistently holds the position that the ROK and Japan should seek stable advances in their relations by resolving the historical issues between them. With that position in mind, the ROK government has been making active efforts in its own way and with principles to turn the year 2015, the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations, into a starting point toward a new future between the two countries.

Also, the ROK side, as the chair of the trilateral cooperation among the ROK, Japan and China, has played the leading role in restoring the trilateral cooperation mechanism. The ROK side has also made efforts to hold a trilateral summit meeting as soon as possible, building upon the achievements made at the trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

If the relations between Japan and China improve, I think it will be helpful for the ROK side’s such efforts.

Q: A similar question. Many news reports said this morning that Prime Minister Abe and President Xi Jinping met for the second time and there is concern about the ROK’s isolation. Could you tell us what you make of this situation?

A: As you know, those reports seem to be viewing the Japan-China relations and the ROK-Japan relations as a zero-sum relationship, but the ROK always refuses to accept such view. As I said earlier, the ROK has been actively working on its relations with Japan based on its own principles and positions. The ROK is also working to restore the trilateral cooperation mechanism, considering that the mechanism is very important for peace and stability in this region.

As I already said, on a trilateral summit meeting, the ROK is very much active in making it materialize. So, if you look at the context, I think you will be able to understand what the ROK’s view is about the Japan-China relations.

Q: Then, please tell us again what the ROK side thinks of a summit meeting between the ROK and Japan.

A: I have expressed the ROK’s position on that several times. The ROK is always open to a summit meeting with Japan. However, the ROK’s basic position is that the meeting should not become talks for the sake of talks. It should be a meeting aimed at building sustainable trust between the two countries. That is, it should mark a step forward, not a step backward.

What is important for that is progress in the issue of sexual slavery victims drafted for the Japanese Imperial Army, and Japanese leaders’ correct perception of history.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


*unofficial translation