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


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

Let me start with the MOFA Spokesperson’s statement on the Japanese Prime Minister’s address to the US Congress.

The Government of the Republic of Korea deems it deeply regrettable that although his recent address to the US Congress could have become a turning point toward genuine reconciliation and cooperation with Japan’s neighboring countries by expressing a correct view of history, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe failed to express both such a view and a heartfelt apology.

If Japan intends to contribute to world peace as the Japanese Prime Minister mentioned in his congressional address, it is important for the country to build relations of trust and reconciliation with the international community through honest acknowledgment of and remorse for its past wrongdoings. However, it is caught in a self contradiction of taking actions in the opposite direction.

Japan should take the path toward reconciliation and cooperation with its neighboring countries based on a correct view of history, while squarely facing its history of colonial rule and aggression as well as its flagrant violations of human rights against the sexual slavery victims drafted by its Imperial Army during World War II.

Moving on to the second and last announcement, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will meet with High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini of the EU on May 4.

In the meeting, the two sides will discuss ways to see tangible progress in the bilateral future-oriented partnership as agreed by their leaders in 2013.

For your information, the future-oriented partnership calls for expanding the scope of the ROK-EU strategic partnership beyond bilateral and regional issues to include global ones and thereby stepping up strategic collaboration on pending issues and security of the international community.

In the meeting, the ROK side will also help the EU delegation better understand the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia and seek its stronger support for the ROK government’s relevant policy and diplomacy for peaceful unification.

The forthcoming ROK-EU foreign ministerial meeting, the first formal ministerial meeting with the new EU leadership inaugurated in late November 2014, is expected to serve as a good opportunity to re-explore the way forward for the bilateral relations over the next five years.


[Q&A]

Q: With regard to the ongoing visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the US, both the ruling and opposition political parties of the ROK voice criticism that the ROK has failed in diplomacy and thus should take the opportunity to review what has gone wrong and seek ways to rectify it.

A: I think I answered that particular question at my previous press briefing. It is too far-fetched an interpretation to say that just because the US-Japan relations move forward, it will have adverse impact on the ROK-US relations and/or it is a diplomatic failure on the part of the ROK. I personally consider it too extreme a view.

As you must be aware and the way I see it, the ROK government, with its own set of purposes, goals, strategies, initiatives and direction, steadily implements its diplomacy.

As you may know and announced by the US White House and government, in not so distant future, before the end of the year, the ROK President is scheduled to visit the US. In addition, the ROK and the US concluded the revised bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement last week; agreed on the transfer of wartime operational control based on the terms put forth by the incumbent ROK government after its launch; have seen smooth implementation of the KORUS (Korea-US) FTA; and implement strategic cooperation on various global issues. As can be seen from these examples, the ROK-US relations are further upgrading into a comprehensive strategic alliance.

Furthermore, US officials have repeatedly and on various occasions been underscoring the importance of the ROK-US alliance in the US policy toward the Asia-Pacific region. What I would like to bring your renewed attention to is the remarks made by US Ambassador Mark Lippert in an interview with a Korean media outlet on April 28.

He said that the ROK-US alliance is at the center of the US efforts to facilitate peace and prosperity in Asia. Considering this, I think one can say that the ROK-US relations are at their highest level ever.

Q: Do you think that Prime Minister Abe’s speech to the US Congress will have an impact on the ROK-US relations?

A: I think the ROK government’s view on that is well reflected in the Spokesperson’s statement I announced a while ago. Please refer to the statement.

Q: In its relations with Japan, the ROK government is pursuing a two-track strategy, where the ROK deals with history issues and security and economic issues separately. However, there is concern that it can end up being a strategy lacking in substance because economic or security cooperation cannot move forward without progress in resolving history issues. What do you make of this view?

A: With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the ROK and Japan, the ROK hopes that the year 2015 becomes the first year to build a new ROK-Japan relationship. To that end, the ROK is working to improve its relations with Japan under the principle that the ROK responds firmly to history issues, while at the same time making active efforts to advance cooperation in mutually-beneficial areas, including security, economy and people-to-people exchange.

I understand that the ROK and Japan will hold celebratory events soon to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of the bilateral relations. Besides this, in order to further facilitate peace and prosperity in the region, the ROK has led the efforts to restore the trilateral cooperation mechanism among the ROK, Japan and China.

The trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting took place, and at the meeting, the three countries agreed to hold a trilateral summit meeting in the ROK at the most convenient time.

As you know, all of the ROK’s such efforts are consistent with its basic position on its relations with Japan that it will firmly respond to history issues, but work to facilitate cooperation in mutually-beneficial areas, including security.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


*unofficial translation