1. In his luncheon address to the third JoongAng Ilbo-CSIS Annual Forum under the theme “Kim Jong-un’s gamble and the Crisis on the Korean Peninsula” on May 21, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se emphasized that whatever North Korea seeks to gain from provocations and threats, “its attempt is failing and will never succeed”.

o While the ROK and the US are continuing to strengthen the combined deterrence capability of the alliance, the United Nations sanctions and responses from major countries around the world have led to further isolation of North Korea. There is a growing recognition in China that North Korea is becoming a liability, instead of strategic asset, which indicates that China is slowly evolving its thoughts and stance toward North Korea.

2. In addition, Foreign Minister Yun explained the Park Geun-hye government’s trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula aimed at establishing sustainable peace and laying a ground work for unification on the Korean Peninsula through trust-building between the two Koreas, with a focus on the following. Minister Yun urged North Korea not to repeat the old same mistake of blowing away an opportunity for dialogue and to make the strategic choice to take the path of change toward openness and prosperity.

o The trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula is neither an appeasement policy nor a collapse inducing policy. There are two major aspects to the process: safeguarding peace and making peace. - To safeguard peace, while maintaining strong deterrence capacity, the ROK will never allow a nuclear armed North Korea, and make sure that there is a corresponding price for North Korea’s provocations. To make peace, the ROK will lead North Korea to make the right choice, while leaving open the door for dialogue. When and if North Korea makes such a choice, the ROK will assist North Korea along with the rest of the international community.

o In their recent summit, President Park Geun-hye of the ROK and President Obama of the US agreed to work together to promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, including through the trust-building process. - In the ROK-China summit to be held in the near future, another meaningful outcome is expected to be produced regarding bilateral cooperation, including the trust-building process.

o The Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative will also help establish sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula by ushering in an era of peaceful, cooperative, and responsible Northeast Asia.

3. The JoongAng Ilbo-CSIS Annual Forum has been co-hosted by the JoongAng Ilbo and the US Center for Strategic and International Studies since 2011, and this year’s forum marks the third of its kind. Participants from the US side include former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar, President of CSIS John Hamre, former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Japan Chair of CSIS Michael Green, and Korea Chair of CSIS Victor Cha. Participants from the ROK side include former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo, former Minister of National Defense Kim Tae-young, and former top presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security Chun Young-woo. They assessed North Korea’s latest provocative threats and exchanged a wide range of views on the possibility of a peaceful resolution and desirable course for Northeast Asia.

☞ Full Text of the Luncheon Address