Speeches and Transcripts
U.S.-ROK ALLIANCE: A SHARED VISION AND A COMMON APPROACH
Speech to Uri Institute for Open Policy
Ambassador Alexander Vershbow
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
National Assembly Building, Seoul
September 26, 2006
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Ambassador Vershbow |
Thank you very much for the opportunity to address you today – it is always valuable for me to come to the National Assembly and exchange views with Assembly leaders.
The Uri Institute for Open Policy has only been around for two years, but in that time has contributed much to promote the Korea’s continued development as an advanced democracy. I particularly want to thank my friend Rep. Yoo Jay-kun for the invitation and his generous remarks, Chairman Kim Geun-tae for his positive opening statement, and the Institute for setting up this event. I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to thank Chairman Kim once again for the opportunity last week to lunch with him and my counterpart Ambassadors from Russia, China and Japan. I appreciate his initiative in helping to further dialogue among the countries participating in the Six Party Talks.
I have been in Korea for almost one year now and am particularly enjoying my first September – the weather has been fabulous. It has been great to see the mountains clearly every day on my way to work – with the high blue sky and the mountains as background to the great statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin and the impressive Gyeongbok Palace that frame my view on my drive to the Embassy. Seoul has one of the most visually striking city centers in the world.
Fall is such a festive time of year in Korea – unfortunately I will miss my first Korean Harvest festival, Chuseok, since I must travel to Washington for an Ambassadors’ conference, but I have already begun to enjoy the spirit of generosity that goes along with Chuseok. I’m even beginning to develop a taste for Korean rice cakes and “hankwa”!
Before I get to discussing the current state of the U.S.-ROK relationship, I want to say that I am personally impressed with the two leaders who have spoken today – first Chairman Kim Geun-tae for his personal contributions to the democratization of Korea throughout the years and his contributions as a leader of Koreans today, and second to Representative Yoo, who, despite the fact his father was kidnapped by the North in 1950 and to this day has received no verification that his father is alive or not, works hard toward reconciliation between the peoples of the two Koreas. The contributions of these two, the depth of their convictions, and their ability to focus on the future are impressive. We should all look to them as models. Like many American ambassadors before me, I have benefited greatly from their wise counsel and guidance.
Summit Evaluation
Now, the central point of my speech – my evaluation of the U.S.-ROK relationship. I believe President Bush said it best when eleven days ago in his summit meeting with President Roh that “the relationship between the United States and South Korea is a strong and vital relationship.” I would also emphasize that President Bush also said: “we've had a very friendly and very meaningful dialogue.” And President Roh echoed President Bush’s positive comments and said, “I was very happy that the President reassured me of the continued commitment of the United States to the defense of the Korean Peninsula.” The two leaders felt the meetings were successful. As a first-hand witness, I assure you the meetings were successful – very successful. The Presidents had a very good meeting; they discussed all the major areas of our relationship, and even shared a few jokes.
Of course it’s the media’s job to highlight differences that may exist, but I want to be very clear: President Bush was pleased with the summit and I personally feel the summit was a great success.
Visa Waiver Program
The result of a particular meeting or summit is important, but even more important are the next steps. It is our job to take the commitments of the summit and, working closely with our Korean counterparts, make the commitments into a new reality. Our two countries have a strong relationship on so many levels I am more optimistic the more I learn about how our two countries are connected. Just last week, Korean Air started direct service to Las Vegas, a truly American, great city – whether you like casinos or not. I look forward to hearing of many more Koreans traveling to Las Vegas. Perhaps one day, Koreans will be able to travel to Las Vegas not only without a rest stop but, more importantly, without a visa.
It is my sincere wish to see that happen and most importantly, it is something that President Bush is committed to. He reaffirmed his commitment to getting Korea into the Visa Waiver Program at the summit. The future of our relationship relies on the personal links that grow stronger every day through travel, business and the varied connections between our two countries.
To be more specific on an issue that I know is important to you and to all Koreans, let me explain the current situation regarding the Visa Waiver Program. The Department of Homeland Security has the lead for approving the roadmap that will lay out the plan toward Korea entering the Visa Waiver Program, and we are awaiting their approval of a final version. In the meantime, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already developing an e-passport, which is one of the requirements for VWP membership, and we continue to work closely with Korean law enforcement on issues such as visa fraud and human trafficking.
A Prosperous Nation and the KORUS FTA
The future of both our countries also lies in the pursuit by both peoples of a more prosperous nation. A “Prosperous Nation” was a founding tenet of the Uri Party and a prosperous nation is also a central goal of the United States – since the preamble to our Constitution was written in 1787, we have worked hard to “promote the general welfare” of our country. The welfare, the prosperity our nation enjoys, is one that is linked to Korea’s pursuit of these same goals. The goal of a more prosperous Korean nation is one that the United States has contributed to and we will continue to play an important role as Korea becomes more and more advanced economically.
One way we will do this is through concluding the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). Any agreement our two countries reach will need to be mutually acceptable. Each side will have to make some concessions; that is the nature of negotiation. The negotiations have already had some challenges, and there will likely be more. I think we would have liked to see a little more negotiating progress, a little more give and take, at our third negotiating round in Seattle at the beginning of this month.
But the most important part of any negotiation is the support of the leaders that the negotiators on each side answer to. Presidents Roh and Bush recommitted to the FTA when they met in Washington on September 14, and I’m confident that will help prod our negotiators to make the necessary compromises to reach an agreement. The agreement will lead to further prosperity for Koreans and Americans and promote the general welfare of our great peoples. This will create a more prosperous future for our children: according to one survey by the Korea Institute for Economic Policy, the KORUS FTA will create nearly half a million new jobs here in Korea – both by boosting exports and attracting new foreign investments. Trade is not a zero-sum game, but an excellent example of what we call “win-win.”
Peace on the Peninsula - North Korea
Another founding tenet of the Uri Party is “Peace on the Peninsula.” This is a tenet that we obviously support and have supported for over 50 years with the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops that have been stationed in Korea over the years. To achieve peace on the Peninsula we must deal together with the various problems that North Korea presents. We are open to new approaches and, as I said last week, Assistant Secretary Hill is open to bilateral meetings with his North Korean counterpart if Pyongyang commits to return to the Six Party Talks.
In Washington, the two Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear issue. They asked their foreign ministers and national security advisors to intensify expert-level consultations on a “common and broad approach” aimed at restarting the Six Party Talks and getting underway the implementation of the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005. Those discussions have been taking place over the past week between Assistant Secretary Hill and his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Chun Yong-woo.
The Joint Statement, adopted just over one year ago, lays out a comprehensive approach to the North Korea conundrum, and could pave the way to a fundamentally different – and positive – relationship between North Korea and the rest of the world. The challenge now is to formulate an implementation strategy. For our part, we are prepared to move forward quickly on all aspects of the Joint Statement – including negotiation of a permanent peace regime for the Korean Peninsula, economic and energy support that can help improve the lives of the North Korean people, and normalization of relations with Pyongyang – if the North Koreans are prepared to eliminate their nuclear weapons and nuclear programs as they promised to do one year ago.
While we work together, we must ensure that North Korea is deterred. It is important that Pyongyang understand that its provocative and destabilizing actions have consequences. The most recent such action was the multiple missile launches in July. The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed on resolution 1695 to send a clear, united message to North Korea that their recent actions are not acceptable to the international community. That resolution was binding on all countries, and requires them to take steps to stop North Korea’s efforts to acquire or sell the technology for ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction, as well as the financing of such proliferation-related activities.
In addition, our combined security posture is related directly to the divided nature of the Peninsula. We are committed to the safety, security and defense of South Korea. These are not negotiable commitments. The United States will not do anything to weaken the security of the ROK or the great ROK-U.S. alliance that has kept the peace for more than fifty years. President Bush reaffirmed our commitment to Korea’s security in unequivocal terms at the recent Summit.
OPCON Transfer
Having said this, let me stress that both Korea and the U.S. are working closely together on the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, because it is a natural and positive evolution in the alliance – part of the process of making it a more balanced partnership in keeping with Korea’s strong military capability and its growing role on the international stage.
I know that the transfer of OPCON has triggered an enormous political debate here in Korea, but I sincerely wish that this debate not become politically divisive. Again, looking to the September 14 summit for guidance, our two leaders agreed that we ought to let our military experts work on this issue to determine both the roadmap for transfer of OPCON and the appropriate timetable, without politicizing the issue.
Our military experts work very well together and I am confident there will be positive talks between them in the coming days and weeks, with a view to presenting a consensus recommendation to our Defense Ministers when they meet in late October. We also hope that other important alliance issues will be resolved by the time of that meeting. In this regard, we welcome the news yesterday regarding the agreement to establish a suitable air force training range on Jikdo island. This will ensure that both Korean and American pilots can continue to maintain the highest level of capability and readiness to defend the security of the Korean Peninsula.
Right now, our two militaries work side by side in helping to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. In the future, the U.S. is committed to continuing to work together – both in Northeast Asia and throughout the world – as our alliance takes on even greater importance above and beyond its fundamental mission of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula.
However our relationship evolves, the United States is here in Korea as long as the Korean people want us here, and I hope and believe that will be for a very long time.
In a letter I received from a concerned Korean citizen, I was asked to, “please disregard the anti-Americanism cited by a few people, but remember that most Koreans are grateful for our alliance.” I will keep this concerned citizen’s words in mind. I know that the important relationship between our two countries will result in more prosperity for Korea and the United States and long-lasting peace on the Peninsula.
As our countries evolve, our relationship evolves. I look forward to the continued evolution of this special alliance.
Thanks again for your invitation and I look forward to a productive discussion.