Press Briefing
Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations Cho Tai-young
Jan. 7, 2014 14:30 KST


Good afternoon. Let me start today’s briefing.

Today, I have two announcements to make.

First, the 17th meeting of Director-Generals for Consular Affairs between the Republic of Korea and Japan will take place in Busan on January 10. The ROK and the Japanese delegations to the meeting will be led by Ahn Young-jip, Director-General for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs, and Tsukasa Uemura, Director-General of the Consular Affairs Bureau, of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

At the forthcoming meeting, the two countries will discuss matters concerning immigration and sojourns of their nationals in each other’s countries and the protection of their peoples overseas as well as ways to boost exchanges between the two countries.

Moving on to the second and last announcement, the Foreign Ministry and the Development Center of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will exchange their signed arrangements between the ROK and the OECD on a rural development research project at the Foreign Ministry on January 9.

Later in the day, a seminar on rural development will take place with relevant officials from the Foreign Ministry and the OECD as well as local experts in attendance.

Under the arrangement, the Foreign Ministry and the OECD Development Center will conduct a joint study on the ROK’s Saemaul Undong or New Community Movement and draw up alternative policies based on the ROK model, which can be applied in developing countries.

The project is expected to set a new development model based on the ROK’s experiences that can be applied in other countries and thereby contribute to the eradication of poverty across the globe.

This is all for my opening statement.


[Q&A]

Q: Announcing her government visions for the new year yesterday, President Park Geun-hye described the envisioned inter-Korean reunification as a jackpot, adding that relevant government agencies should prepare for it with a sense of calling. Has the Foreign Ministry already embarked on preparatory work or is it starting to do so?

A: To my knowledge, after the new year’s presidential press conference yesterday, high-ranking government officials held an interagency meeting to closely discuss follow-up measures to pursue the visions put forth at the press conference. The Foreign Ministry, as part of the government, will take follow-up measures in cooperation with other government agencies, when such cooperation is necessary. It will make its utmost efforts in this regard.

Q: I have a question about a ROK-Japan summit meeting. In her press conference yesterday, President Park mentioned that sufficient preparation is needed. I would like to know on what matters and how much preparation is needed for a summit to take place. I would also like to know whether preparations are currently under way or they have yet to begin.

A: I deem that what the President said in her press conference with regard to the summit speaks for itself. As I understand it, the President was trying to say that as summit meetings should produce results that are conducive to advancing relations between the countries concerned, sufficient prior preparations should be made in order for a ROK-Japan summit meeting to see such results.

I think she meant that the governments of the two countries should make preparations to this end. I consider it important to have no stumbling blocks in making such preparations.

Q: I understand that there were talks last year that a strategic dialogue between Vice Minister Kim Kyou-hyun and his Japanese counterpart Akitaka Saiki and/or a meeting between Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs Park Joon-yong and his Japanese counterpart would take place later this month or next month. Will they materialize? Please tell us what meetings, if any, are scheduled to take place between Foreign Ministry officials of the two countries.

A: Well, as I understand it, those two meetings were not arranged. I believe that the vice-ministerial strategic dialogue and the director-general-level security policy consultation could materialize if necessary after relevant consultations. However, I have not heard that their timing has been agreed upon.

Q: Please share with us the progress in the ROK-US negotiations on revising their Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which are under way in Daejeon.

A: I myself have not heard about it. I am sorry that I have nothing to share with you here.

Nonetheless, one relevant official mentioned that the result would be shared with you in an appropriate manner after the ongoing round is over.


* unofficial translation