열린장관실

Congratulatory Remarks by H.E. Park Jin

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea

Princeton University Seminar

May 19, 2023

Governor Phil Murphy,

Consul-General 김의환, 

President of the Korea Society, Mr. Thomas Byrne,

Assemblywoman Ellen Park,

Distinguished Panelists,

Members of the Princeton community,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great privilege to join you today – albeit by video.

I had hoped to deliver these remarks in person, 

but the G7 Hiroshima Summit has kept me from doing so. 

But make no mistake.

This seminar has an unusually special place in my heart. 

For it is hard to imagine a more fitting place to hold a seminar marking the 70^th anniversary of the ROK-US Alliance.

First and foremost, the auditorium for this event bears the name of the historical architect of the alliance – Syngman Rhee, the founding President of the Republic of Korea.  

As many of you know, Princeton is where President Rhee earned his Ph.D.  Woodrow Wilson was President of the University at the time.

According to a Readers Digest article written exactly 70 years ago, President Wilson liked to introduce Syngman Rhee as “the young man who may someday redeem Korea’s independence.”  

Indeed, Syngman Rhee would go on to become instrumental not only in redeeming Korea’s independence from colonial rule, but also subsequently in defending Korea’s independence from communist invasion in 1950. 

The cessation of fighting in 1953 was soon followed by the signing of the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty. 

This historic Treaty did not come effortlessly.  

It was the precious fruit of President Syngman Rhee, who had strenuously opposed an armistice, persevering with grit to convince President Dwight Eisenhower of its need.

The intellectual nourishment President Rhee experienced here at Princeton, surely helped sow the seeds. 

After all, it requires considerable intellectual audacity for the leader of a war-torn, fledgling nation to seek an alliance with the most powerful nation in the world. 

There is another important reason why this school offers an ideal venue for this seminar. 

The Republic of Korea would not exist today, had the United States not come to its defense in 1950.     

It is worth remembering that Korea had been excluded from the famous US defensive perimeter announced by Secretary of State Dean Acheson in January 1950. 

Yet, only 6 months later, President Harry Truman would make the monumental decision to send troops to rescue Korea, even though the country had been left outside the “Acheson Line”.   

President Truman’s decision to intervene militarily in Korea was not driven by realpolitik or calculations of power.  A moral imperative is said to have been a key factor.  He was influenced by the internationalism of Woodrow Wilson.  

These are not my views but those of another famous Princetonian – Professor Joseph Nye - who happened to moderate a forum during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent visit to Boston. 

So in more ways than one, this prestigious institution has been intertwined with the formative years of Korea’s statehood, its founding statesman, and its alliance with the United States. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As most of you may have seen, President Yoon Suk Yeol made a State Visit to the United States last month.  

It was a historic opportunity to commemorate all that our alliance has achieved together over the past 70 years. 

Our Alliance has indeed come a very long way since it was forged.  

By the dawn of the 21^st century, the ROK-US relationship emerged from a security-focused alliance to an economic partnership bolstered by the KOREA-US FTA.  

It has further expanded into a Global Comprehensive Strategic Alliance under President Yoon and President Biden’s leadership.

Last month’s State Visit truly set our partnership on the path to the next 70 years of extraordinary success. 

In the face of North Korea’s ever-growing nuclear and missile threats, the security pillar of the Alliance was upgraded through the Washington Declaration.  

This declaration establishes a Nuclear Consultative Group and dramatically strengthens extended deterrence against North Korea.  

It is perhaps one of the most significant strategic documents to be adopted by our two countries since the Mutual Defense Treaty. 

Seoul and Washington have also shown how adaptive our partnership has been in a changing world.  

For example, the two leaders reaffirmed that our Alliance applies not only to territorial space but also to cyberspace and outer space, committing to strengthen our cooperation in these areas. 

Korea and the US will also further improve our economic security by enhancing collaboration on critical and emerging technologies. 

These include leading-edge semiconductors, batteries, quantum, AI and biotechnology. 

Our two countries have also committed to deepening our people-to-people ties and education cooperation for future generations.  

Such exchanges will encompass not just STEM but also the fields of humanities and social sciences. 

The two Presidents also affirmed that ours is a truly global Alliance that champions democratic principles, underscoring the shared values that underpin our ties. 

An alliance bound together by the values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law is vastly more resilient and enduring.

Based on these shared values, the Korean Government is endeavoring to actively harness its growing national strengths – both hard and soft power - in the service of upholding the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.  

The Global Pivotal State vision of the Yoon Administration symbolizes this commitment. 

On many of these fronts, the great State of New Jersey, the Princeton community, and the panelists taking part today all have important roles to play.  

I was delighted to have spoken with Governor Murphy on precisely these topics when we met at the Munich Security Conference in February.

As we look ahead to the next seven decades, I know we can count on your support as we nurture paths towards an even more thriving future.

With that, let me close by offering my best wishes for a fruitful and successful seminar today.

Thank you.  /END/

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