Kim Seong-han: "Strengthening Deterrence Against North Korea Through State Visit to the US... Minimizing Unfair Treatment of Korean Companies"

At the Local Meeting: "Faithfully Upholding Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula"
"Seeking New Growth Engines in Supply Chain Development and Advanced Fields"

Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office, who is visiting the United States, stated on the 7th (local time) that "we have decided to actively seek ways to further strengthen the execution capability of the South Korea-US alliance's nuclear deterrence against North Korea, taking advantage of President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to the US."

At a briefing with Washington correspondents held at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington DC on the same day, Director Kim said, "Facing the increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, we aim to faithfully uphold the fundamental mission of the South Korea-US alliance to protect peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," conveying this message.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the White House issued a statement under the name of spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre, announcing, "President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will welcome President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who will visit the United States as state guests on April 26," and "the state visit will include a state dinner." Jean-Pierre said, "This visit commemorates the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance, which is important for promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in South Korea, the Indo-Pacific, and the world." She added, "The two leaders will emphasize the importance, enduring strength of the South Korea-US alliance, and the United States' unwavering commitment to South Korea." Furthermore, "The two leaders will discuss our shared resolve to deepen and expand political, economic, security, and people-to-people ties," she said.

In line with this, Director Kim emphasized, "The United States has reaffirmed the firmness of its extended deterrence commitment against North Korea, and hopes that the ongoing deployment of various strategic assets and joint exercises will serve as an opportunity for the Korean people to trust the US defense commitment." Some expect that plans to strengthen the execution capability of extended deterrence against North Korea will be intensively discussed in response to North Korea's continued provocations.

He also mentioned detailed cooperation plans for economic security. Director Kim said, "At a time when economic security is emerging as a major issue, we will seek new growth engines in advanced fields such as supply chain construction for crisis recovery, nuclear power, space, clean energy, and cyber, and strengthen cooperation in areas necessary for protecting private technology and international collaboration." He added, "To support the activities of our companies and further activate economic exchanges between South Korea and the US, we have agreed to closely communicate and seek necessary measures to minimize the possibility that Korean companies, as key allies, face unfair treatment or unexpected uncertainties during the implementation of US industrial policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS Act."

Director Kim explained that after arriving in Washington on the 5th, he met with key figures in the US administration's diplomatic and security lines, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl, exchanging views on various ways to strengthen and develop the 70-year-old South Korea-US alliance. Regarding President Yoon's state visit to the US at the end of April, he said, "Through consultations on the visit, it was finalized and officially announced," and added, "With the state visit formalized, we had in-depth discussions with the US side on ways to maximize the significance and achievements of President Yoon's visit."

Director Kim also conveyed, "The US side highly appreciates our government's decision to improve South Korea-Japan relations and said they will continue to support President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to ensure sustainable development of bilateral relations." He continued, "Relatively early in his term, President Yoon's state visit to the US, his only ally, will be a great opportunity for future alliance development," and said, "We will thoroughly prepare and communicate closely during the remaining period to achieve tangible results that the public can feel."