Press Briefing

Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Noh Kyu-duk

June 28, 2018  14:30  KST

Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

First, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will host the “Korea-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) Future Cooperation Forum 2018” on June 28 and 29.

The Forum, the upcoming round of which will mark the 11^th since the first held in 2008 under the name of the High-Level Forum on Korea-Latin America Partnership, is the largest LAC-related event held in the ROK. The theme of the forthcoming round will be “Korea-LAC Cooperation on Smart Cities and Urban Regeneration.”

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend a Korea-LAC High-level Forum on June 29 and deliver welcoming remarks, followed by welcoming remarks by Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mee as well as congratulatory remarks by lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party and Executive President and CEO Luis Carranza of the Development Bank of Latin America.

The Forum, which will bring together a combined 21 delegates from various sectors of 14 countries -- central and provincial governments as well as private enterprises -- and 4 international organizations, is expected to serve as an opportunity to communicate robustly with one another and thereby to broaden the scope of the Republic of Korea-LAC cooperation.

Moving on to the second and last topic, the ROK delegation to consultations with the US on sharing military costs, led by the Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador Chang Won-sam, held in Seoul on June 26 and 27 the fourth consultation on the envisioned tenth Special Measures Agreement between the two countries.

At the meeting, the ROK and the US delegation held in-depth discussions aimed to narrow the gap in their positions on major issues that had been raised in the first three rounds. The two sides, based on mutual trust and respect, will continue efforts to reach a proper compromise.

That concludes my opening statement.

[Q&A]

Q: I have a question regarding (the ROK-US) consultations on sharing military costs. According to a press report issued earlier today, June 28, the ROK delegation is known to have expressed its unwillingness to cover expenses for the deployment of strategic (US) assets at the recent consultation, as that matter it said was related to the presence of US Forces Korea (USFK). Meanwhile, the US side reportedly mentioned its plan not to cover the possible scale-down of the USFK. If you have more specific information about these two positions, please share it with us.

A: To my knowledge, explanations have been offered in that regard. Please understand that with relevant negotiations under way, it would be inappropriate for me to discuss specifics.

Q: The US is moving to reinstate sanctions against Iran, right? Yesterday, June 27, the US Department of State went so far as to say that no US allies should be exempt from the US call to suspend crude oil imports from Iran. If that indeed happens, it could hurt Korean companies. Please share with us what specific measures the ROK government is preparing to take in response.

A: The ROK government, through close inter-agency cooperation, has been looking into possible countermeasures. Going forward, the government will continue work to minimize impact of relevant US moves on Korean companies.

Q: It is not an important question. Anyhow, there reportedly were things going on in front of the ROK’s diplomatic mission in Mexico in response to a FIFA World Cup soccer match. Please briefly share with us whatever the Foreign Ministry knows about the local situation.

A: I have heard that the ROK’s victory over Germany at the FIFA World Cup event helped Mexico advance to the round of 16. Rejoiced over this, Mexicans are reported to have gathered voluntarily in front of the ROK Embassy and companies for festivities and extended appreciation to Embassy personnel and other local Koreans.

Q: According to news carried by Twitter and others from Mexico, many people gathered (at such aforementioned places) and sent things to local Korean companies as tokens of appreciation. Do you have anything to share with us in that regard?

A: I have learned from a tweet posted by the ROK Embassy in Mexico that Mexicans reacted quite fervently to what had happened at the FIFA World Cup. I have also heard that they sent beers and various other things to the ROK Embassy and companies, creating a mood for festivities on their own.

Q: Would you once again articulate the Foreign Ministry’s position on the decision adopted by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee?

A: UNESCO? I don’t seem to have relevant information on me right now. I will once again relay it to you.

Q: To my knowledge, Minister Kang Kyung-wha met with the UNESCO Director-General earlier today. With regard to its world heritage sites, Japan has failed to move much forward with its measures for helping to understand the whole history, including regarding forced labor, right? Was this discussed in the meeting (between the Minister and the Director-General)? Did the ROK Minister take issue with it and urge UNESCO to play a role in this regard?

A: UNESCO’s subsidiary group of experts called the “International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)” is currently working on that issue. Meanwhile, the ROK Minister exchanged views with the UNESCO Director-General on diverse matters of mutual concern. For further details, please refer to the press release issued on that meeting.

Q: Well, can we then say that nothing specific was discussed on Japan’s world heritage site at the meeting?

A: Let me check further details discussed at the morning meeting and share with you what I can.

Q: The Foreign Ministry issued earlier today, June 28, a press release on the plan of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea Quintana to visit the ROK next week. He will be staying in the ROK for longer than on his previous visits to the country. Please share with us specifically what he will be doing in the ROK.

A: We usually disclose such schedules after checking with relevant bureaus and just before visits take place. I will share with you what I can at an appropriate time.

Q: Let me ask you a further question about world heritage. In November 2017, Japan announced its plan to set up in Tokyo an information center regarding Hashima island, or battleship island, among others, which an ROK government official said in a recent meeting was unacceptable. How will this issue be covered in ROK-Japan diplomatic consultations down the road? Please tell us what the ROK government will do in an effort to stop Japan from following through on this plan.

A: In its progress report (on the implementation of follow-up measures regarding the inscription of Japan’s Meiji industrial sites on the World Heritage list) submitted to the World Heritage Centre in 2017, the Japanese government stated that it would establish in Tokyo an information center in the form of a think tank and not in memory of the victims. In response to this Japanese plan, I, Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, expressed regret on behalf of the ROK government. The ROK government, while closely keeping track of the progress in Japanese government’s implementation efforts, will repeatedly urge it to swiftly take measures in memory of the victims.

Do you have any further questions? If not, this will be all for today’s briefing. Thank you.

* unofficial translation