Director Lee Do-hoon Meets Vegan, Reaffirms Close Cooperation and Support for Improving Inter-Korean Relations

The key to dialogue is whether we can deter North Korea's provocations and bring them to the table
Director Lee: "We plan to proceed with consultations at a swift pace"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] "South Korea and the United States have agreed to closely cooperate on inter-Korean relations, the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the establishment of permanent peace."

Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who held his first meeting this year with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, stated this during a press briefing with correspondents at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington DC on the 17th (local time). He said, "We reaffirmed the U.S. government's support for improving inter-Korean relations," and described the atmosphere of the conversation with Deputy Secretary Biegun as "good."

Through this meeting with Deputy Secretary Biegun, Director Lee appears to have actively conveyed the South Korean government's plans for inter-Korean cooperation projects such as individual tours to North Korea, which President Moon Jae-in recently mentioned in his New Year's address and press conference. Director Lee said, "We confirmed the U.S.'s consistent support for the improvement of inter-Korean relations itself."

He also emphasized that a common concern between South Korea and the U.S. regarding South-North-U.S. dialogue is how to bring North Korea to the negotiating table. Director Lee explained, "We discussed what North Korea's intentions are and what to do going forward," adding, "The current common interest between South Korea and the U.S. is how to bring North Korea to dialogue, since there is a possibility of provocations at various occasions, so the question is how to prevent these provocations."

Regarding consultations for improving inter-Korean relations, he conveyed that the core of the dialogue was whether it is possible to deter North Korean provocations while drawing them into talks. He said, "The U.S. is focusing on preventing North Korean provocations and bringing them to dialogue," and added, "Consultations between South Korea and the U.S. have just begun, and since we cannot afford to delay, we plan to proceed with consultations quickly and with a sense of urgency."

Meanwhile, remarks by Harry Harris, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, regarding inter-Korean cooperation projects caused a stir. Ambassador Harris said at a press briefing with foreign correspondents, "To avoid misunderstandings that could trigger sanctions, it is better to handle these matters through the South Korea-U.S. working group." This statement came right after President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference. Unusually, even the Blue House issued a statement in response.

A Blue House official told reporters on the 17th, "It is highly inappropriate for the ambassador to publicly comment on the statements of the host country's president," and added, "Matters related to inter-Korean cooperation are decisions for our government to make."

Earlier, Song Young-gil, chairman of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Northeast Asian Peace and Cooperation, criticized, "Expressing opinions is fine, but if we follow what the ambassador says, what is he, the Governor-General of Joseon?" and Seol Hoon, a senior party official, also criticized, saying, "Remarks resembling interference in internal affairs do not help the alliance relationship."