Foreign Minister Meets with Major US Diplomatic and Defense Officials
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se visited the US from April 2 through 4 at the invitation
of US Secretary of State John Kerry. On April 2 (local time), the first-ever ROK-US
Foreign Ministers’ meeting since the launch of the Park Geun-hye government and
the 2nd term of the Obama administration took place at the Department of State.
At the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on foreign policies of their new
governments and a wide range of matters of mutual concern.
On April 3 (Wednesday, local time), Minister Yun Byung-se visited the Pentagon,
headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, and met with U.S. Secretary
of Defense Chuck Hagel.
1. Following a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on April 2, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is on a visit to the US, had a breakfast meeting with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and meetings with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon respectively on April 3. The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the US in May, North Korea issue and the ROK-US alliance.
2. During a breakfast meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Burns on April 3, Minister Yun had follow-up consultations in a more comprehensive and detailed way on pending bilateral issues, the Korean Peninsula issue, and regional and international issues, which were discussed during his meeting with State Secretary Kerry on April 2.
● The two sides decided to set up a close communication channel between senior diplomatic officials of the two countries including Deputy Secretary Burns, through which the two sides can discuss pending issues anytime regardless of time difference.
3. During a meeting with Secretary of Defense Hagel on the morning of April 3, Minister Yun shared the view that deterrence against North Korea through strong coordination between the ROK and the US is important given rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The two sides agreed to maintain close cooperation between diplomatic and defense authorities of the two countries through the Korea-US Ministerial Dialogue 2+2 Meetings.
● On a question asked by Minister Yun about the impact of the sequester’s defense cuts, Secretary Hagel said that the sequester will have no impact on the readiness of the US forces in the ROK and that President Obama has a premier commitment to the ROK-US alliance.
4. Minister Yun visited the White House on the afternoon of April 3, and met with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. With about a month left before President Park Geun-hye’s visit to the US, they agreed to enhance cooperation for a successful presidential visit.
● In addition, Minister Yun explained to Advisor Donilon the new ROK government's foreign policy initiatives, including the “Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula” and the “Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative”. Advisor Donilon stressed that the US defense commitment to the ROK is good-honored commitment, not mere rhetoric.
Foreign Minister Holds a Working Luncheon with Leading US Academics
1. On April 3, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who is on a visit to the US, held a working luncheon with Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Jeffrey Bader, former Senior Director of the National Security Council, and other experts in Korean Peninsula affairs from leading think tanks. During the luncheon, the participants exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including the future direction of the relations between the Republic of Korea and the US as well as North Korea and Northeast Asian issues.
2. Minister Yun explained the outcome of the ROK-US Foreign Ministers’ meeting held on April 2 and the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia to the key US opinion leaders with extensive knowledge on the ROK-US relations. He then asked for their policy suggestions and advice for a success of the ROK-US summit talks scheduled for this May.
* The event, moderated by Senior Adviser and Korean Chair Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, brought together Director Richard Bush of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) and Senior Fellow Jonathan Pollack of the Brookings Institution; Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia Bruce Klingner and Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy Jack Spencer of the Heritage Foundation; Vice President Abe Kim of the Korea Economic Institute; Vice President for Studies Douglas Paal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; President Charles Ferguson of the Federation of American Scientists; Senior Fellow Sheila Smith of the Council on Foreign Relations; Director Christian Ostermann of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and Dean Vali Nasr of the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.
3. Minister Yun also elaborated on the new ROK government’s North Korea policy and other foreign policies, including the “Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula” and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, designed to establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula. The participants then exchanged views on ways to further strengthen the ROK-US relations under the new governments of the two countries.
4. The experts who attended the meeting expressed their keen interest in the new ROK government’s policy related to the ROK-US relations as well as its foreign policies toward China, Japan and Northeast Asia. They also stated that they would spare no academic support and advice to advance the bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Visits the Korean Empire Legation Building in the US
1. On the morning of April 4, during his visit to the US, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se visited the legation building of the Korean Empire to the US. His visit marked the first of its kind by a Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea since the ownership of the building was retrieved by the country in August 2012. The visit, in particular, came immediately upon the completion of the property transfer process on April 3 following the conclusion of the purchase contract in August 2012.
2. The building carries great historic significance as the one and only overseas legation of the Korean Empire that remains in its original form. The Republic of Korea retrieved the ownership of the building some 100 years after it was forcibly sold to Imperial Japan in June 1910, only two months before the country’s forced annexation of Korea.
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA
* unofficial translation
