1. On the sidelines of the foreign ministerial Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER), held in Anchorage, Alaska, the US, on August 30 and 31, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on August 31. In their meeting, the two sides discussed preparations for a successful visit of President Park Geun-hye to the US in October; their strategic roadmaps for carrying out main diplomatic events scheduled for the second half of 2015; the situation on the Korean Peninsula since the inter-Korean agreement was reached on August 25 and ways to respond to future developments; the situation in Northeast Asia; and ways to move forward their global partnership and comprehensive strategic alliance.

2. With regard to the Republic of Korea-United States summit talks scheduled for October 2015, the Minister and the Secretary mainly discussed and coordinated in advance the key events and agenda items to be covered in order for the ROK-US summit talks to serve as a significant opportunity to contribute to the stabilization of the increasingly fluid situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia in a virtuous circle.

3. With respect to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the two top diplomats noted with appreciation that the ROK and the US had maintained close military and diplomatic collaboration throughout the course of responding to the recent landmine and artillery provocations by North Korea, which culminated in an agreement between the ROK and North Korea to issue a joint press release on August 25.

◦ In this regard, Secretary Kerry noted that the ROK and the US are in superb partnership on security issues, reaffirming the firm US commitment to the defense of the ROK.

◦ The two sides, highlighting the importance of China’s constructive role in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, agreed to continue multifarious efforts with other stakeholding countries in the region. Secretary Kerry expressed sufficient understanding on the implications of President Park Geun-hye’s attendance at China’s September 3 event for the entire Korean Peninsula. In addition, he said both sides should continue close strategic dialogue for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, such as on the issue of North Korean denuclearization, through a series of summit talks, including those between the ROK and China and others to come during the visits to the US by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Park.

◦ The Minister and the Secretary agreed to hold discussions to draw a common understanding at the summit level that reflects the outcome of such consultations and any changes in the situation until the ROK-US summit talks on October 16.

4. With regard to ways to promote peace and stability in Northeast Asia, the two sides discussed ways to seek not only advances in bilateral relations between countries in the region but also various forms of mini-lateral cooperation, including among the ROK, Japan and China, among the ROK, the US and Japan, and among the ROK, the US and China. Minister Yun explained the recent progress in the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative and noted with appreciation the ROK-US cooperation in that regard.

5. The Minister and the Secretary, expressing satisfaction over the steady evolution of the ROK-US alliance into a global strategic alliance, agreed to work closely together to successfully hold the high-level meeting on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) in Seoul in early September; and in addressing such global issues as international peacekeeping operations, climate change, development cooperation and violent extremism. The two sides agreed to proactively seek new fields for cooperation at the summit talks in October.

◦ Secretary Kerry noted with appreciation that the attendance at the recent GLACIER conference by Minister Yun, the only Foreign Minister from a non-Western Asian country to have participated in the event, clearly illustrated the truly global partnership between the ROK and the US. He repeatedly hailed and extended appreciation to the ROK for attending the reception held on August 30 for the participants in the GLACIER meeting and for holding the ROK-US meeting, as well as for its contributions.

6. The ROK Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State agreed to strengthen the bilateral strategic and policy coordination in a bid to make the summit talks in October another successful event based on the outcome of their bilateral meeting on August 31 and follow-up consultations. They also agreed to work more closely with other relevant countries.


* unofficial translation