열린장관실

Hello!  I am Park Jin, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea.

I would like to thank President 김기환 of the Korea Foundation,

Dr. John Hamre,

Secretary Blinken,

and all the friends and supporters of the Korea-US Alliance, for inviting me to speak at today’s forum.

Let me first congratulate both the Korea Foundation and the CSIS on co-hosting the Korea-US Strategic Forum today.

I wish to recognize all that the KF and the CSIS have been achieving over many years to promote Korea-the United States relations and our mutual understanding.

I also wish to acknowledge the distinguished speakers and participants at this year’s forum.

All of you have been critical to nurturing,

sustaining and advancing our alliance through thick and thin.

I regret that I’m unable to join you in person, due to other commitments as the Foreign Minister.

We are one week away from the 70th birthday of our Alliance – the signing of the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty on October 1st, 1953.

So let us pause and reflect on what Korea and the US have accomplished together during this auspicious year.

The Washington Declaration and the Camp David trilateral summit would naturally come to mind.  

These titles will undoubtedly have a lasting place in the history of our relationship.

The term “historic” is often overused.

But I am sure everyone here would agree that  President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the US in April was indeed historic.  

It firmly put our partnership on track as a Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance.

And in the face of North Korea’s ever-growing threats, the Washington Declaration put forward concrete measures to bolster extended deterrence.

The Nuclear Consultative Group that was launched in July is the first bilateral mechanism of its kind in the world.

Back in 1953, on the very day that the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty was signed, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles stated the following words:

“Bitter experience has taught us that weakness invites aggression; that the requirement of peace and security is the maintenance of our strength.”

The Washington Declaration fulfills that requirement.

Seoul and Washington have also adapted and upgraded our partnership to better meet the challenges of a changing world.  

Accordingly, economic security and cutting-edge sectors have all become part and parcel of our partnership.

These include biotechnology, batteries, semiconductors, quantum computing, AI and space.  

Similarly, no one would dispute that the Camp David trilateral summit was just as historic.  

The leaders of Korea, the US and Japan opened a new epoch of trilateral cooperation through the Spirit and Principles of Camp David.

These laid a solid institutional foundation for the stable and sustainable development of our trilateral cooperation.

The Commitment to Consult is no less unique.

Our three countries will share information, align our messaging, and coordinate our responses to various regional challenges.

The promptness and depth of our consultations since the Commitment was adopted is indeed noticeable.  

Our strong trilateral partnership will better enable us to shape the Indo-Pacific region in ways that are favorable to our common interests and to our shared values.

Lastly, let me touch upon North Korea.

I would be remiss not to do so, especially given the events that took place in the Russian Far East recently.  

North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development constitutes clear violations of ten

UN Security Council resolutions – starting from 1718(seventeen eighteen), 1874(eighteen seventy-four), etcetera, all the way to 2397(twenty-three ninety-seven).

Just as important, all forms of arms trade and related cooperation with North Korea are also in direct breach of multiple Security Council resolutions.

Both present significant threats to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific and beyond.  

Attempts to assist North Korea’s unlawful programs or to engage in arms trade with North Korea must therefore stop.

We sternly warn that these actions not only flagrantly violate multiple resolutions, but also endanger Korea’s security.  

As President Yoon has been stressing, permanent members of the Security Council, including Russia and China, have a heavier duty to abide by binding resolutions adopted by the Council.  

I cannot emphasize this enough.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to squander scarce resources on advancing its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

It is launching record numbers of missiles and so-called satellites, when its own people are starving and suffering economic hardship.  

The human rights of the North Korean people and security on the Korean Peninsula are closely connected.

The multi-million and tens of million dollars diverted to every missile launch should have been spent on improving the lives of its own starving people.

North Korea’s actions are irrational, irresponsible, and immoral.

Ladies and Gentlemen,  

Korea and the United States have built a thriving alliance that is among the strongest and most successful in the world.

It is a partnership that over seven decades has proven how durable and adaptive it is, in the face of new challenges.

But this success did not come without efforts.

We would not have come this far, without the likes of staunch supporters such as those who are present here at this forum.

Once again, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for a successful event.  Thank you.