Speaker Park Byeong-seok: "North Korea, Difficult to Improve Relations with the U.S. Without Going Through South Korea"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, currently on a European tour, stated, "It seems that North Korea prefers improving North Korea-US relations over inter-Korean relations, but it is difficult to improve relations with the US without going through South Korea."

During a meeting with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Berlin Presidential Palace on the afternoon of the 30th of last month (local time), Speaker Park introduced the inter-Korean situation, saying, "North Korea has remained silent on President Moon Jae-in's proposal for a ceasefire regime transition and the Speaker's proposal for inter-Korean parliamentary talks, but it has not criticized them."

Regarding Korea-Japan relations, Speaker Park said, "A two-track approach addressing historical issues and the economy is necessary," and pointed out, "There is a difference between Germany and Japan in how they deal with history. There must be recognition of substantive truth and a willingness to improve, but Japan denies history."

On the issue of COVID-19 prevention, he said, "South Korea and Germany are closely cooperating, with the first ladies of both countries communicating and holding vice-ministerial joint government meetings for joint COVID-19 response," adding, "South Korea is a strong country in disease prevention. The most important factor is the national character. There is a national consensus that individuals can restrain their freedoms for the safety of the community."

The official meeting, scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time and last 45 minutes, extended 15 minutes beyond the planned time, continuing until 3 p.m.

On the German side, participants included Anke Lenderke, Deputy Secretary-General of the Federal Foreign Office; Thomas Bagger, Director of Foreign Policy at the Federal President's Office; and Theo Kides, Head of Africa and Asia-Pacific Development at the Federal President's Office. From the visiting delegation, Park Wan-joo and Jo Eung-cheon of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Chae-ik of the People Power Party, were present.

Immediately after the meeting, Speaker Park visited the Holocaust Memorial. The Holocaust Memorial was established on May 12, 2005, south of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, as a memorial for Jewish victims.

Following this, Speaker Park moved to the German Bundestag for an official meeting with Wolfgang Sch?uble, President of the Bundestag. During the meeting, Speaker Park introduced the National Assembly's COVID-19 prevention measures, saying, "Despite the COVID-19 situation, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is operating all meetings normally. The standing committees strictly maintain the principle of operating with fewer than 50 members, and individual partitions have been installed in the plenary hall where all 300 members gather."

He added, "President Sch?uble planned and ultimately signed the unification, and the 30th anniversary of German reunification is approaching. There is a movement in Korea to learn about the future of German unification."

President Sch?uble said, "The division of the Korean Peninsula and our division share the commonality of being products of the Cold War," and added, "Promoting mutual exchanges and people-to-people contacts between the South and North will be preparation for unification."

Speaker Park said, "While maintaining an alliance with the United States, we also recognize the importance of relations with China, which is closest to North Korea," and added, "I believe we should have flexible relations while adhering to principles."

President Sch?uble responded, "I fully agree with those principles. Countries around the world are becoming closer. During my tenure as Finance Minister, I saw many positive outcomes from multilateralism," and said, "We must strive to protect and efficiently operate the multilateral system."

In response, Speaker Park expressed agreement, saying, "Our country is also a small open economy, so we inevitably pursue free trade and multilateralism," and "I hope free trade and multilateralism will be strengthened."

Speaker Park requested support for Yoo Myung-hee, Chief Negotiator for Trade, who is well-known as a candidate for WTO Director-General, and President Sch?uble replied, "It is a matter for the government to decide, but I will convey your message well."