Chairman Han,
Ambassador Lippert,
Lieutenant General Bergeson,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to join the 14th Korean-American Friendship Night together with the members and supporters of the Korean-American Association. For over 50 years, the Korean-American Association has worked hard to strengthen the bond between our two great nations.

“Irreplaceable”is the word that comes to mind whenever I think of our alliance and the friendship that exists between our peoples. Thanks to the work done by everyone in this room, our alliance has been described as being in its “most robust state”ever. I certainly agree.

One such individual who has contributed in making our relationship such a great one is  Chairman Ryu Jin of the Poongsan Group whom we are honoring tonight with the Korean-American Friendship Award.

I believe there is no one in Korea who has more American friends than Chairman Ryu. And I think he is one of the very few people in Korea who knows so much about the United States. Chairman Ryu has worked tirelessly to bring our two countries closer, and for this, there is no one more deserving of this award.
On the basis of work done by people like Chairman Han and Chairman Ryu and all of you here tonight, the Republic of Korea and the United States are partnering together to broaden our horizons. Now, we are partners in securing reliable and clean energy sources; we are exploring space, a new frontier; we are working together to protect our environment for the next generation; we are fighting against  cyber-terrorism which has emerged as one of the most pressing security challenges today. We have also worked together on issues such as nuclear security and global health. As such, our alliance has evolved into a global partnership that is effectively responding to global challenges. 

While our alliance will continue to address global concerns and look towards the future,  the situation on the Korean peninsula remains our main issue of concern.  North Korea continues to pursue its aggressive policies, and it has acquired the unique distinction of being the only country to conduct nuclear tests in the 21st century ? in fact, five times in the last decade. Moreover, it has launched 22 ballistic missiles of various types on fourteen occasions just within this year. So yes, we are facing a security challenge brought on by a belligerent leader who seems set on continuing down this reckless path.

However, the ROK-US alliance has been and will continue to be the foundation on which we deal with North Korea’s  provocations. We have the military capabilities as well as the diplomatic capacity to counter them. And most importantly, we have a moral imperative to the people in the North who live in fear and abject poverty. I believe in the end it is this alliance and the strong determination of our people that will help turn our hopes of realizing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula into a reality.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For 60 years, the ROK and the U.S. have  become each others’best friend. And what is a true friend? A true friend is one who shares the same values, and who works towards the same goals.  And what is our next goal? It is peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. It is bringing freedom and prosperity in Northeast Asia and beyond. These are the goals that we share as friends and such a common destiny will continue to bring us closer.

With that, I leave you with three words that exemplifies the spirit of our alliance :
Let’s go together! 같이 갑시다! 

감사합니다.   End.