Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Oct. 25, 2012 14:30 KST

Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

There was no briefing on Tuesday as I had to attend the parliamentary audit session on the Foreign Ministry.

Today, I will make two announcements and then take your questions.

First, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his wife will visit the Republic of Korea on October 28-31 to attend the 2012 Seoul Peace Prize ceremony on October 29.

During his visit, Secretary-General Ban will deliver his first-ever address at the National Assembly since taking office and meet with government officials, including Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik.

He is also scheduled to attend and deliver speeches at several events, including a Rehabilitation International World Congress and a Meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Moving on to the second announcement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-Hwan and Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Seok-woo will sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between their Ministries in a bid to conduct grant-aid projects in the industrial and energy sectors in a more efficient manner.

Under the MOU, the two Ministries will work together to implement aid projects in a more integrated way.

Furthermore, the two sides will seek ways for the Ministry of Knowledge Economy with expertise in the industrial and energy sectors to play a leading role in relevant aid projects of the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

The MOU, when concluded, is expected to bring together the Foreign Ministry’s aid supervision and planning capacity along with the Knowledge Economy Ministry’s expertise in the aforementioned sectors, thereby generating synergetic effect.

For your information, in August 2011, the Foreign Ministry concluded an MOU with the Ministry of Public Administration and Security on cooperation for boosting official development assistance in the public administration field. The MOU to be signed with the Ministry of Knowledge Economy will be the second such pact for the Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry, as the government agency that primarily handles aid-related affairs, will continue building similar cooperative mechanisms with other government agencies with expertise in specific fields in order to raise efficiency in its aid process.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: With regard to the deletion of Dokdo’s address from Google maps, please tell us what measures, if any, the Foreign Ministry is mulling over taking in response.

A: First of all, Google had notified us of its plan to update its labeling in accordance of its new policy. The ROK government, more specifically our overseas diplomatic mission, made it clear that its plan was unacceptable immediately after learning about it.

To be more specific, we clarified that Dokdo being an integral part of the territory of the Republic of Korea, its new reference is unacceptable and it should be marked as Dokdo wherever and however it is searched for. We requested that Google list the address given by the ROK government as the address of Dokdo.

With a correction having yet to be made, the government will continue making efforts to that end.

Q: I have a related question. Please tell us when you expressed your rejection of the new name after being notified. If Google continues to refuse the ROK government’s demand for a correction, to what extent do you think the government can pressure a private company to change its policy?

A: As I recall it, Google notified its policy to our overseas diplomatic mission on October 18, local time. In terms of your second question, although Google is a private organization, this is an issue that the ROK government cannot concede on. So, we will continue reiterating our stance and requesting a rectification.

Q: I have a further question. Does the ROK government have any idea as to why Google made the change. Was it attributable to a request from the Japanese government? Has Google provided an explanation in this regard?

A: There was no mention of a request from the Japanese government. According to Google, its new policy calls for referring to disputed territories by different names depending on in what country they are searched for.

For example, the Google site in the ROK calls Dokdo as such, while the same island is labeled as “Takeshima” or “Liancourt Rocks” if it is searched for on the Google site in Japan or a third country, respectively.

Therefore, as I have just said, we made clear our position to Google that regardless of the searching location, Dokdo should be marked as Dokdo.

Q: Did you deliver your position to Google immediately after receiving the notification on October 18? Or was it later than that?

A: We did so the very moment that Google explained its policy.

Q: Where did Google provide the explanation?

A: We received it through our diplomatic mission.

Q: There are other disputed territories. Do you know whether Google made such a change with regard to Dokdo only, or other disputed territories as well in accordance with a new macro policy?

A: According to Google, this policy, drawn up after years of review, applies to all disputed territories.

Q: I would like to ask a question regarding the extradition of the Chinese who threw a firebomb at the Japanese Embassy in the ROK. Please tell us whether the ROK government will extradite the man to Japan in accordance with the agreement for the extradition of criminals or forcibly repatriate him to China.

A: As I repeatedly told you in previous briefings, after legal process is finished, judicial authorities of the ROK will make a decision in consideration of domestic and international laws, as well as humanitarian aspect.

Q: I have a related question. Please tell us more specifically what you mean by ‘humanitarian aspect.’

A: I would not give more explanation on that.

Q: Concerning a Korean killed in Guatemala, has the Foreign Ministry found out who the victim is and what happened? How will the Korean government handle the incident?

A: We verified his identity, and immediately after the Korean mission in Guatemala was notified of the incident, an emergency committee was formed. We also contacted the police, but unfortunately, the Korean was found dead the next day.

His body was delivered to his family, and we have asked the Guatemalan police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation. We will continue to work to address the issue in cooperation with the Guatemalan police.

Q: There is a report that a group of Greek police officers attacked a Korean traveler and made racist remarks. I’d like to know what the Foreign Ministry knows about the incident, and how it is dealing with it.

A: On the day the incident occurred, the victim reported the case to the Korean Embassy in Greece. On the evening of that day, around 10:30pm as I remember, our consul visited the district police station with the victim. But, as office hours were over, our consul visited the police station with the victim again the next day and met with the district police chief.

Our consul lodged a strong protest and requested the punishment of the attackers.

Also, the ROK Ambassador to Greece met with the chief of the Greek national police agency and the Minister of Citizen Protection, and demanded a thorough investigation and punishment. The Ministry of Citizen Protection is a government agency which manages the national police agency.

Afterwards, our consul visited the district police station five times more and other police station whose jurisdiction covers a wider area.

The district police station recently notified us that they had verified the identities of the attackers. As far as I know, the police station that covers a wider area formed an investigation committee, and an investigation is now underway.

The Korean government on its part will continue to keep an eye on the matter and work to bring justice to those responsible for the incident.

Let me tell you one more thing. The area where the incident occurred is an area with a poor security situation in downtown Athens. So, the area has already been placed under Travel-alert Level 1 (Precautious). Korean nationals are advised to be aware of this.

Another thing to add. The ROK Ambassador to Greece will meet with the Minister of Citizen Protection and the chief of the Greek national police agency on October 26 local time.

Q: You said that regarding the Google issue, our diplomatic mission overseas was contacted by Google. Did a person from Google visit our mission or send an e-mail?

A: They met in person, and as I said, the Korean side expressed its position on the spot.

Q: To my knowledge, Assistant Secretary Campbell will visit Korea tomorrow. Please inform us of his schedule at the Foreign Ministry.

A: He will meet with Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Kyou-hyun and Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lim Sung-nam.

Q: I will ask one more question regarding the map of Dokdo on Google. Some are saying that Google removed the Korean address for Dokdo because the Japanese government asked them to do so. What do you think of the possibility? Will you complain to the Japanese government, if it turns out to be true?

A: We do not have accurate information on that. It can be possible, but we do not know if that is true. Concerning our position on Dokdo, there is no need to talk about it again here.

Regardless of whether the Japanese government was involved in this issue, it is imperative that Tokyo should immediately withdraw its unjust claim to Dokdo.


* unofficial translation