[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Foreign Minister Park Jin stated on the 23rd regarding the follow-up measures after the outcomes of the Korea-US summit, “The North America Bureau will launch an Indo-Pacific Strategy Team, and the Bilateral Economic Diplomacy Bureau will launch an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Team to discuss matters with the United States.”
Foreign Minister Park Jin is briefing on the results of the Korea-US summit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government Seoul Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
At a briefing on the results of the Korea-US summit held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul that afternoon, Minister Park said about the economic security achievements, “The Indo-Pacific Strategy Team will operate in the form of a task force (TF) involving not only the North America Bureau, which handles bilateral relations with the US, but also departments responsible for various regions within the Indo-Pacific such as China and ASEAN.”
Regarding the IPEF, which was launched that afternoon with Korea’s participation, Minister Park described it as an “evolving framework” and expressed the position that “we will communicate closely to ensure that China does not feel alienated or excluded, aiming for regional coexistence and common prosperity.”
He also introduced that during this Korea-US summit, Korea announced it would establish an independent Indo-Pacific strategy, which the US supported. This is the first time Korea officially adopts the regional concept of the Indo-Pacific to formulate its diplomatic strategy.
Minister Park explained, “It will include content on how Korea will contribute to the future development of the Indo-Pacific region within the larger framework of being a global pivotal state.”
Regarding China’s backlash against Korea’s participation in IPEF, Minister Park drew a clear line. He emphasized, “We expect China to respect the newly forming order and norms of the Indo-Pacific and to fulfill its role as a responsible country. Strengthening the Korea-US alliance does not mean neglecting Korea-China relations. Also, the relationship between the US and China is not a zero-sum game for Korea.”
He added, “If China has such concerns, it is our diplomatic duty to alleviate them through strategic communication, build mutual respect, and create a consensus to develop future relations.”
Regarding the Korea-US technology alliance, which was formalized through this summit, he stated, “Maintaining superiority in advanced technology and continuing to keep the gap with China is important for Korea’s competitiveness and future growth engines, so this is a win-win relationship.”
Minister Park also introduced that the new government has expressed willingness to host the US-led initiative, the “Summit for Democracy.”
The Summit for Democracy is a multilateral summit initiated by President Biden to restore US leadership against authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia.
The first meeting was held virtually in December last year, and the US will hold the second summit this year. Korea appears to intend to host the summit following that.
Regarding trilateral cooperation among Korea, the US, and Japan discussed at this summit, he explained, “Korea-US-Japan cooperation is important to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile security threats and also in terms of economic security, and it will be cooperation based on shared values and norms.”
In this context, Wendy Sherman, the US Deputy Secretary of State, the second-highest official at the State Department, is scheduled to visit Korea soon for Korea-US-Japan deputy ministerial talks.
The Korea-US-Japan deputy ministerial meetings, held regularly on a rotating basis, were last held in Washington DC in November last year during the Moon Jae-in administration. This will be the first meeting held under the new government.
Additionally, Minister Park said, “Through opportunities for consultations between Korea-US diplomatic authorities, including my visit to the US, we will make every effort to thoroughly implement the follow-up measures of this summit.”
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