Press Briefing
Deputy Spokesperson Han Hye-jin
Jul. 17, 2012 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

First, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan and Director of VANK Park Gi-tae will sign a MOU on bilateral cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and VANK on July 18 at the Foreign Ministry. VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) is a cyber civilian network.

The MOU aims to jointly nurture civilian digital diplomats and facilitate the spread of digital Hallyu (the popularity of the K-pop culture) in order to increase people’s understanding of Korean diplomacy through public-private partnership in the field of digital networks, such as SNS.

The Foreign Ministry will continue to pursue “total and complex diplomacy,” which goes hand-in-hand with the people, by carrying out various diplomatic programs in close cooperation with civil organizations, such as VANK.

Secondly, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan and Governor of the Gyeongsangbuk-do province Kim Kwan-yong will sign a MOU on bilateral cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and Gyeongsangbuk-do on July 18 at the Foreign Ministry.

With the signing of the MOU, the Foreign Ministry and Gyeongsangbuk-do will co-host “Quiz on Korea,” a global quiz show on the ROK, which the Foreign Ministry has been pushing forward with as a key public diplomacy project. This project is expected to be an exemplary case of cooperation between central and local governments.

The Foreign Ministry and Gyeongsangbuk-do will continue to work closely to implement various international cooperation projects, including international development cooperation, encouraging foreign direct investment, developing new markets overseas, and cultural exchanges with foreign countries.

Moving on to the next topic, the 12th ROK-Russia Policy Planning Talks will be held in Seoul on July 19, with Lee Sang-hyun, Director-General for Policy Planning of MOFAT, and Alexander Tokovinin, Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, as the heads of their respective delegations.

The two sides will discuss a wide range of issues, including foreign policies of the two countries; situations on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, in Europe and in Central Asia; and economic and security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

The upcoming meeting is expected to provide an opportunity to study the foreign policy direction of the new Russian government, and to lay the groundwork for further strengthening bilateral cooperation in economy and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

Lastly, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations with Ecuador and Panama, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea will send “Beautiful Mind” to the two countries to showcase high-quality performances by fusing traditional Korean music with classical music.

Beautiful Mind will deliver two solo performances in Ecuador on July 19 and in Panama on July 23, and a joint performance with Panama’s national orchestra on July 24.

As Beautiful Mind is a charity music organization which includes performers with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy pianist and visually impaired clarinet player, the disabled and the underprivileged in the host country will also be invited. Beautiful Mind will also hold charity concerts for disabled and autistic children.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: I will ask a question on the ROK-Japan relations.

It has been reported that the ROK Foreign Ministry is considering changing the Korean term “comfort women” to “sex slaves.” Is this true?

A: As Foreign Minister Kim said at the National Assembly’s standing committee meeting on July 13, the opinions of victims and related organizations are very important.

As far as we know, related organizations have issued a statement requesting the continuous use of the term “comfort women for the Japanese army” because of its historical meaning, though it is somewhat inaccurate in terms of the concept. So, the Foreign Ministry is not considering changing the term.

Q: One more question. Then, is it likely that the English term “comfort women” will be replaced by “sex slaves”?

A: The opinions of victims and related organizations are also important in deciding which English term is used.

As the term “comfort women” can cause some misunderstanding, the term “sex slaves” has been concurrently used.

But, the Foreign Ministry has not reviewed whether to change the term officially.

I will conclude today’s briefing.


* unofficial translation