Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Dec. 19, 2013 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have only one announcement to make.

The awards ceremony of two competitions will take place at the Foreign Ministry’s Reception Hall at 5:00 pm, today. One of the events is the 13th essay contest on international law co-hosted by the Foreign Ministry and the Korean Society of International Law (KSIL) for undergraduate and graduate students across the country. The other one is the 5th mock trial competition on international law hosted by the Foreign Ministry with the support of the KSIL.

The awards ceremony will be attended by Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul and those from the KSIL.

The participants in the essay contest were given the following topics they could choose to write on: humanitarian intervention, the right to preventive self-defense and international law in general. The topics for the mock trial competition were state responsibility and immunity and legal personality of international organizations under international law.

The Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with international law scholars, will hold a variety of events to expand the base of international law and strengthen its diplomatic capabilities through international law.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: There have been press reports until even today that some 70 aides to North Korea’s Jang Song-thaek have applied for asylum, including in China. Please share with us relevant details, if any, that have been confirmed.

A: Yesterday, I told you the ROK Foreign Ministry’s position in answer to a similar question. The Ministry knows nothing about the reported escape of 70-odd North Korean officials to China.

Q: Have you received any intelligence regarding who had sought asylum in China?

A: Again, that has not been verified, nor do I know anything about it. According to a press report yesterday, a North Korean official was undergoing a joint interrogation at a ROK diplomatic mission in China. As I told you yesterday, as far as the Foreign Ministry knows, this is not true.

Q: Should diplomats at the ROK’s overseas missions determine to work together on such matters, do they and other relevant Foreign Ministry officials take part in such interrogation?

A: I believe so.

Q: To my knowledge, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo met with Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Saiki and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Sugiyama in Tokyo yesterday. Has anything been decided with regard to a ROK-China-Japan summit and/or a trilateral Foreign Ministers’ meeting? Even if no decision has been made, can you at least say that you came to have a rosy prospect for them?

A: As I told you the other day, Deputy Minister Lee Kyung-soo visited Japan to meet with Deputy Minister Sugiyama and Vice Minister Saiki of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

As I told you then, Deputy Minister Lee, as the ROK’s head delegate for the ROK-Japan-China trilateral cooperation, discussed with the Japanese officials matters concerning trilateral cooperation. He took the opportunity of the visit to meet with other officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and discuss the ROK-Japan relations.

You asked about the outcome of those meetings. In a nutshell, no specific dates were set for the two aforementioned trilateral meetings. The two sides also exchanged views on holding a ROK-Japan Vice Ministers’ strategic dialogue, but did not reach agreement on any specific date.

Q: I have a further question. Until now, in answer to questions regarding the reported asylum seeking by North Korean officials in the ROK through its overseas mission or in China, the ROK government has mentioned that it knows nothing about it and/or believes that such press reports are untrue. In the face of recent developments in North Korea, what changes, if any, are there in work and activities of the ROK’s diplomatic missions with regard to China and North Korea?

A: That is a very difficult question. Are you asking what changes there are in activities of the ROK’s overseas missions?

Q: I understand that the ROK government cannot but answer questions such as “Is there any North Korean official-escapee in a ROK mission in China?” by saying that “It is not true” or “The government believes that it is not true.” Instead of asking a question about such facts, I am asking what the ROK missions are doing to respond to or deal with the recent changes in North Korea.

A: As I told you moments ago, the Foreign Ministry has not been reported on such a situation by its overseas missions. Under the circumstances, I am trying to tell you what there is to tell you: As far as the Foreign Ministry headquarters know, such press reports are not true.

I have read media reports that the Foreign Ministry vaguely answers questions regarding such press reports and vaguely, not definitely, denies those reports. I will not comment on the view. However, please just take the Foreign Ministry’s word for it, as it is telling you what it knows. When the Foreign Ministry says it does not believe the reports are true, it says so because it does not believe so. There is nothing more or nothing less.

I am not sure whether this is an appropriate analogy, but it is like calling father “father.”

Q: Many people speculate that in the wake of the execution of Jang Song-thaek, there would be a surge in the number of not only high-ranking officials but also many others defecting North Korea. How many North Koreans does the Foreign Ministry estimate will defect their country? What measures, such as forming a relevant taskforce, is the Ministry considering taking to deal with it?

A: Well, different people could have different views. What I would like to tell you, though, is that the ROK government, including the Foreign Ministry, is bracing itself for all kinds of possible situations.

As I reiterated on many occasions before, it is impossible to make predictions. Regardless, the ROK government is thoroughly preparing for a full range of possible situations.

Q: I understand that a former US basketball player Dennis Rodman is visiting North Korea today. Did the ROK and the US governments discuss the desired release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American detained in North Korea, ahead of Rodman’s visit?

A: Not that I know of. It is the ROK government’s position that Mr. Bae should be released as soon as possible on humanitarian grounds. With regard to Rodman’s visit to North Korea, it is inappropriate for the ROK government to express its position. As I see it, it is merely a visit to North Korea by an American citizen.

I will conclude today’s briefing. Thank you.


* unofficial translation