Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Nov. 5, 2013 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have three announcements to make.

First, as part of the exchange program between college students of the Republic of Korea and Japan this year, a group of 30 Korean college students will be dispatched to Japan from November 6 through 15.

This program has been in place since 1972 to promote exchanges and understanding between the two countries. In September of this year, 30 Japanese college students visited the ROK.

During its visit to Japan, the Korean student delegation will visit the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; hold a meeting with Japanese college students; and make a tour of cultural heritage site and other key landmarks.

This exchange program between ROK and Japanese college students is expected to contribute to enhancing communication and understanding between the younger generations of the two countries.

Moving on to the second announcement, Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul will attend the 6th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) to be held on November 7 and 8.

At the Forum, the Vice Minister will deliver remarks to share the ROK’s experience of and lessons from its democratization with a view to consolidating democracy amid the recent trend in transitioning toward a pluralistic society.

The BDF is a high-level forum in the Asia-Pacific region launched in 2008 to promote democracy.

The participation of Vice Minister Cho is expected to serve as an opportunity to demonstrate the ROK government’s willingness to usher in an era of happiness for the global community through the promotion of universal values of mankind, including human rights and democracy.

Lastly, the 2013 APEC FTAAP (FTA of Asia-Pacific) Capacity Building Workshop on Dispute Settlement will take place in Seoul on November 7 and 8. The early part of the Workshop will be open to journalists.

This Workshop has been organized to narrow the gap among the APEC economies in their FTA-negotiating capabilities in order to gradually realize the FTAAP.

At the Workshop, the participants will examine mechanisms for settling FTA disputes and their connection to those for settling WTO disputes. They will also discuss ways to effectively manage the proceedings for FTA dispute settlement as well as to advance them.

The Workshop will bring together 60-odd experts in FTA dispute settlement from the 21 APEC economies. At the event, Ahn Chong-ghee, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs of the ROK Foreign Ministry, will deliver opening remarks.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: According to a press report, the US intelligence authorities designated the ROK as one of its focus areas in 2007 and have since collected relevant intelligence. Furthermore, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reportedly been wiretapped. What does the ROK government make of these reports?
A: On November 2, on the heels of the issuance of the New York Times report, the ROK government conveyed its deep concern over the relevant documents to the US government and requested it provide an understandable explanation and promptly take measures. We are currently waiting for a reply.
Q: With regard to this case and the alleged eavesdropping by the US government on the ROK Embassy in the US, the public and the opposition express concern that the ROK government is making a tepid and low-profile response that could lead to nothing. What does the ROK Foreign Ministry make of this view?
A: In the face of the allegations and suspicions, the first step for the government to take is to verify them. As I have just said, the ROK government conveyed its deep concern to the US government on the heels of the issuance of the press report on the relevant documents, underscoring the need for the US side to provide a convincing explanation. That I think was the first step that needed to be taken in response.

Q: Should this report be found true, what measures will the ROK government take in response?

A: We will let you know what measures we will take after we get to the bottom of this. For now, the government considers this a grave issue. We will first get to the bottom of this issue and take measures accordingly.

Q: With regard to the alleged eavesdropping on the ROK Embassy in the US, an internal inspection found no proof of the allegation. Hasn’t the intelligence security net been broken? Is there no problem with the defense mechanism of the aforementioned Embassy?

A: The ROK government has steadily been taking measures to bolster the security of its key facilities, including overseas diplomatic missions. The Foreign Ministry, on its part, has been putting in place measures to strengthen the security of its headquarters and overseas missions to counter and prevent such attempts as to spy on them.

It is hard to say that all the overseas missions are perfectly braced against such attempts due to limited budget, among other things. The Foreign Ministry provided all the relevant information, including precise statistics, at the recent parliamentary inspection session. The Ministry plans to gradually install anti-bugging equipment at its overseas missions, starting from ones with higher priority. And this plan is under discussion with the budget authorities.

Q: It was announced earlier today that the Trilateral Senior Foreign Official’s Consultation among the ROK, China and Japan will take place this Thursday. Please share with us what the ROK government expects from this meeting. Also, please tell us what you think is the likelihood of this high-level meeting helping materialize a ROK-China-Japan summit before the end of the year.

A: As you may know, this Trilateral Senior Foreign Officials’ meeting is one among vice-ministerial-level officials of the Foreign Ministries of the ROK, China and Japan. I believe the forthcoming meeting will be the eighth of its kind. The primary purpose of the meeting is for Vice Ministers or vice-ministerial-level officials of the Foreign Ministries of the three countries to review the progress in trilateral cooperation and discuss ways to promote it. The officials also take the opportunity to discuss the situation in Asia and their respective policies. In this light, the meeting consists of two sessions.

The ROK government attaches great significance to the ROK-China-Japan trilateral cooperation. In terms of the question regarding whether the aforementioned Consultation would lead to a trilateral summit, I cannot give you a definite answer right now. Of course, one of the missions of high-level meetings is to prepare for trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meetings as well as trilateral summit talks.

With the date of the next trilateral summit still unset, it is hard to say for sure whether the forthcoming Consultation would lead to a summit.

Q: Recently, there seem to be brisk consultations among and/or moves by head delegates of the member countries of the Six-Party Talks, including the visit of Chinese top delegate Wu Dawei to North Korea and that of the ROK chief negotiator Cho Tae-yong to the US. What changes, if any, in the state of things does the ROK government detect from these recent developments? What information does the ROK government have with regard to Wu Dawei’s visit to North Korea, in particular?

A: As you must be aware, China’s Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei recently visited the US for consultations. As you must know as well, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Cho Tae-yong is currently on a visit to the US. I understand that Special Representative Cho held a consultation with US head delegate to the Six-Party Talks Glyn Davies yesterday.

As reiterated time and again, the recent series of consultations have covered ways to make substantive progress toward the denuclearization of North Korea. The ROK government views in the positive light the recent, brisk consultations on this issue.

As for Wu Dawei’s visit to North Korea, though, the ROK government is not yet aware of its outcome. I believe there would be opportunity to receive its readout from the Chinese government.

Q: Prior to Wu Dawei’s visit to North Korea, was the ROK government notified of the plan by the Chinese government?

A: Let me tell you this in answer to that question: With regard to the North Korean nuclear issue, the ROK government has been consulting closely with the US and China within an overarching framework.

As I told you moments ago, Special Representative Wu Dawei’s visit to North Korea is viewed as part of various ongoing consultations among the member countries of the Six-Party Talks.

Q: I have another question regarding the Six-Party Talks. After his meeting with his US counterpart Glyn Davies late last month, Special Representative Wu said that he was confident of the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. Less than 15 days after the meeting, the ROK and the US are holding a consultation, while North Korea and China are doing the same thing. As can be seen from these developments, very brisk moves are being made, raising speculation that there might have been a consultation among the US, North Korea and China.

Please share with us the ROK government’s position on resuming the Six-Party Talks as well as the progress, if any, with regard to the resumption.

Lastly, there is even talk of a meeting among the two Koreas, the US and China to put more focus on the North Korean nuclear issue. I’d like to know what the ROK government’s position is on the possibility of the four-party talks.

A: The countries participating in the Six-Party Talks are holding active consultations recently through visits to each other’s countries. I believe you are already well aware of the ROK government’s position on the Six-Party Talks.

The ROK government holds the position that the Six-Party Talks are an effective method and channel for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

In addition, the ROK government sees such active consultations among countries concerned as desirable. The government believes that all these are not talks for the sake of talks, but constructive efforts to find ways to make substantive progress.

However, on what progress has been specifically made as a result of the latest consultations, I think it is difficult to give you a definite answer at this point. The ROK government hopes that through such process, the countries concerned will reach an agreement on ways to make specific and substantive progress.

Concerning the talk of the four-party talks, I, as Spokesperson, have not heard anything specific about it. The ROK thinks that the Six-party Talks are a useful framework.

Q: On Japan’s right to collective self-defense, it has been reported this morning that the US government told the ROK government that it will coordinate to allow Japan to exercise the right in special situations. I’d like you to verify the report and to tell us what position the US side delivered to the ROK government.

A: As can be seen in past consultations between the ROK and the US and the US-Japan joint statement issued after their 2+2 meeting of foreign and defense ministers, the ROK government understands that the US government’s basic position in approaching this issue is that Japan’s right to collective self-defense should be exercised in limited situations within the framework of the US-Japan alliance.

However, on specifically what the limited situations are, in other words, in what particular situations Japan will be allowed the limited exercise of the right to collective self-defense, a conclusion has not been drawn. We understand that it is still under review.

Let me stress once again here that the ROK government’s position is that discussions on Japan’s right to collective self-defense should be held transparently under the basic principles of the pacifist constitution and in a way that alleviates the concerns that neighboring countries have for historical reasons and that contributes to regional peace and stability.

The ROK government has continuously conveyed such position to the US side. The ROK believes that the US side is fully aware of the ROK government’s position.

Q: Please verify the report that the US government told the ROK government that Japan will be allowed to exercise its right to collective self-defense in special situations.

A: As I said, the ROK government believes that the US will also allow Japan to exercise the right only in limited situations and within the framework of the US-Japan alliance. This is the conclusion we have reached following contacts with the US. On specifically what situations they are, we understand that nothing has been suggested yet.

Q: When you say contacts with the US, do you mean Chief of the Presidential National Security Office Kim Jang-soo’s latest visit to the US? Or did the US side explain to the ROK side through separate channels thereafter?

A: I will not go into details on that. A lot of consultations are underway through diplomatic channels.

Q: Japanese Prime Minister Abe's wife Akie Abe attended an event to promote people-to-people exchanges, held yesterday in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, and said that she hoped the ROK-Japan relations will be improved as soon as possible and she will be able to visit the ROK around next year.

What do you think are the chances that Mrs. Akie Abe’s dream will come true?

A: As I said the other day, I don’t have the ability to predict the future and I think it is the same with you. However, what I can tell you here is that I also hope so. I also have such expectations and wishes. On if that will happen or not, it is not a matter that I can give an answer to.

Q: Foreign news reports said that a Korean was murdered in the Philippines again. What information does the ROK government have and what measures is it taking? To my knowledge, it is the tenth time this year alone. Many Koreans have been murdered especially in the Philippines. What measures is the ROK government planning to take to resolve the issue?

A: It is extremely regrettable. It is heartbreaking that so many Koreans have been killed in the Philippines.

As far as I know, a total of ten people have been murdered this year alone. It is very regrettable and heartbreaking that such incidents keep occurring.

Above all, I pray for the souls of the Korean killed and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

The ROK government, especially the ROK Embassy in the Philippines, is doing everything it can.

In a bid to prevent and respond to incidents and accidents involving Koreans in the Philippines, the ROK Embassy in the Philippines has held meetings on comprehensive measures regarding Korean-involved incidents on a quarterly basis. The meeting, attended by the ROK Embassy, the Korean community and the Philippine police authorities, mainly discusses ways to prevent such incidents and accidents.

The ROK Embassy in the Philippines also supported the creation of autonomous security guard teams, jointly operated by Koreans and the Philippine police, in areas where many Koreans are residing. As a result, autonomous security guards are working to prevent incidents and accidents in the country.

For your information, the meeting on comprehensive measures regarding Korean-involved incidents, which I mentioned just before, takes place four times a year. It has been held since 2010.

On the participants of the meeting, it can vary depending on circumstances, but it is usually attended by the ROK Embassy in the Philippines, the Philippine Secretary or Undersecretary of the Interior, the chief or deputy chief of the Philippine national police, officials from the immigration authorities and law enforcement authorities, and the Korean community association.

Furthermore, the ROK government, in consultation with the Philippine government, established the “Korean Desk,” an investigation team devoted to Korean-involved incidents, in the Philippine police authorities in October 2010. Korean police officers have also been dispatched to the team to create a system where the two countries’ police can work together on the scene in a swift manner.

It is extremely regrettable that such unfortunate incidents where a Korean is murdered are occurring frequently despite all these efforts.

The ROK government will continue to do its best and double its efforts to prevent such unfortunate incidents.

Q: Have more Koreans been murdered than the people of neighboring countries, for instance, Japanese or Chinese? Have you checked any related statistics?

A: I don’t have any statistics on that right now. I will check with the division in charge of the matter after this briefing and let you know as soon as I get them.

I think you must be wondering why there are so many murder cases especially in the Philippines. There can be different reasons. I’m not sure this is absolutely correct, but I assume that the country’s security situation itself is unstable.

The number of Koreans visiting the Philippines is increasing rapidly. About one million visit the country a year. The ROK government will exert its utmost efforts, but we also advise those visiting the country to be more cautious.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.

*unofficial translation