Oh Hyunjoo: "The Meeting Itself Marks the Beginning of Everything"
"President Lee Does Not Believe He Must Participate in a North Korea-U.S. Summit"
On U.S.-South Korea Security Issues: "No Major Disagreements"
Oh Hyunjoo, the Third Deputy Director of the National Security Office, stated, "President Lee Jaemyung does not believe that South Korea must participate in a meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States." She also mentioned that while the possibility of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un is very slim, if such a meeting were to occur, South Korea would be able to prepare swiftly.
On the 27th, during a press briefing with foreign correspondents at the Seoul Press Center, Deputy Director Oh was asked about the likelihood of a summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States. She responded, "Regardless of the circumstances, the very act of the two leaders meeting marks the beginning of everything," and made the aforementioned remarks.
She added, "There has been talk about the possibility of the two leaders meeting, but I believe the chances are very low." She continued, "It is said that the 2019 Panmunjom meeting was arranged within 30 hours. Everything necessary was prepared within that time frame," and emphasized, "If such a situation arises, we also have the internal capacity to prepare within that time." When asked whether preparations were being made for President Lee to join at Panmunjom in the event of a North Korea-U.S. summit, she replied, "We have not included the assumption that our president must attend."
She assessed the likelihood of a North Korea-U.S. meeting as low. Deputy Director Oh said, "We must distinguish between speculation and expectation," and added, "From the presidential office's perspective, we see the possibility as very low." She explained, "North Korea always acts contrary to our expectations, so Chairman Kim could change his mind and accept the U.S. proposal, but as I mentioned, my position remains unchanged." In response to a question about whether there had been a request from the United States to facilitate a North Korea-U.S. meeting, she answered, "To the best of my knowledge and information, there has been no such request."
Additionally, Deputy Director Oh stated that it would be difficult to conclude the South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations on the occasion of APEC. Regarding recent remarks by President Trump that the South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations are very close to a conclusion, she said, "Given the current progress, I think it will be difficult to reach an immediate agreement this time."
Deputy Director Oh further explained, "We have not set the APEC summit or the Korea-U.S. summit on that occasion as the goal for concluding the tariff negotiations," and added, "The negotiating team is working with a focus on 'commercial rationality' and whether it will benefit the Korean economy."
In contrast, regarding security issues such as the modernization of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and increased defense spending, she stated, "We do not consider each other hostile," and added, "There are no major disagreements between the two countries regarding security or the alliance relationship."
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