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New Challenges for the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia: The Role of the Republic of Korea and the United States
President Kim Dae Jung
*
at a Luncheon given by the Korea Society, the Asia Society
and the Council on Foreign Relations
June 8, 1998
Speeches and Transcripts: 1998
Chairmen Greenberg, Gregg, and Peterson, distinguished guests,
Words cannot describe my emotion as I stand here today.
In the past, I spoke to you as the leader of the opposition party. On those occasions, I repeatedly pointed out that the Republic of Korea would be able to reform its domestic politics and confront North Korea with confidence only if it renounced authoritarian rule and embraced democracy.
You gave me full support on this, and now, I stand here before you as the president of the first genuinely democratic government since the founding of the Republic 50 years ago. As I look at this audience, I see many familiar faces and good friends who have been unfailing in their support of me throughout the years. Thank you for your support. My success is your success.
I have no doubt that my state visit to the United States will be a great triumph because of your active and distinguished support.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I want to talk to you today about new challenges for the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and the role of the Republic of Korea and the United States.
On the threshold of the 21st century, Northeast Asia promises to be the most exciting place in the world. And the Republic of Korea is right in the center of things. Since the end of the Cold War, Northeast Asia has faced various challenges as it has sought a new international order of peace and stability.
If Northeast Asia can overcome these challenges now, I believe the region will be able to play a leading role in the next century. The vast well-educated populations, high levels of technical skill, great economic potential, and similarities in cultural backgrounds all combine to make the region’s prospects bright.
On the other hand, there are a lot of challenges to overcome in establishing a new order in the midst of the many changes taking place in the region.
Currently, East Asian countries are faced with a severe financial turmoil. Japan, as the second largest economic power in the world and the largest economic presence in the region, should lead the efforts to help Asian countries to overcome the present crisis as soon as possible. Japan should also pay heed to interests and concerns of some countries in the region over the U.S.–Japan defense cooperation. While I hope that the defense cooperation between the U.S. and Japan will contribute to strengthening peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, I think it is necessary for Japan to maintain transparency in implementing defense cooperation with the United States.
China is making steady efforts to assume a greater role in the region as a political power and as a potential economic power. In fact, Asian nations expect China will play an important part in maintaining peace and prosperity in the region.
Russia is also searching for a new role for itself in the new order, and it is trying to improve relations with its Asian neighbors, including Japan and China. We hope that Russia, with its enormous potential, will pull itself together again and contribute to peace and economic development in the region.
The United States, although it is not a part of Northeast Asia, perhaps plays a more important role than any other country in the region. It does so in almost every respect, politically, economically, and militarily. It is a close ally of Korea and Japan and therefore maintains bilateral security agreements with both. It will also have an opportunity to establish a new strategic partnership with China when President Clinton visits this month. As this illustrates, U.S. national interests in Northeast Asia are vast and varied. The United States has much at stake in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Few nations in Northeast Asia maintain closer relations with the United States than the Republic of Korea. It was some 116 years ago that Korea and the United States established official relations. Since then, the two countries have maintained close, friendly relations.
Korea is unique in that it has never in its history waged a war against any nation in the West and has never been colonized by a Western country. The United States liberated Korea from Japanese imperialism and defended it from North Korean Communist aggression. U.S. assistance played a central role in our efforts to rebuild the economy from the ruins of the Korean War. U.S. help has also been crucial to us in overcoming the economic crisis that began late last year. We are deeply grateful.
In return, the Republic of Korea has also done its best as friend of the United States. Economically, it has not hesitated to help the United States in its times of need. In the 1980s when the United States was suffering enormous trade deficits, Korea dispatched several purchase missions to the U.S. and bought billions of dollars’ worth of American goods. In 1996, Korea imported American goods actively, to the extent that it incurred a deficit of 11.6 billion US dollars with the United States out of a total trade deficit of 20.5 billion dollars.
Moreover, several Korean companies have invested more than I billion dollars each in the United States. During the time of my current visit, Korean Air plans to purchase 2 billion dollars worth of aircraft, despite our foreign exchange crisis.
Korea is neither a superpower nor a rich country. However, Korea has worked more closely with the U.S. than virtually any nation in the world in many areas, including political, military and economic issues. This is, of course, in our own national interests as a friendly relationship with the Republic of Korea is in America’s national interests.
Now that Korea is suffering economic difficulties, I hope America will continue to actively provide us with assistance and investment. I am visiting the United States to convey our firm commitment to honor such assistance when our economy recovers.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As I mentioned already, Northeast Asia is very important to the national interests of the United States. It also needs the United States to maintain peace and stability and promote prosperity. In this respect, the continued presence of the U.S. troops currently stationed in Northeast Asia is absolutely necessary, just as U.S. troops are necessary for stability and peace in Europe, even in these post-Cold War years.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The key to Northeast Asian peace and prosperity at this particular stage is settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Unfortunately, the Korean Peninsula, the last hot spot of the Cold War era, still faces the potential threat of armed conflict. In order to deter any provocation and nurture enduring peace, a solid military alliance between Korea and the United States should be maintained and further reinforced.
Close cooperation between our two countries for peace is more important now than ever before for several reasons:
First, broader understanding and cooperation are needed between the Republic and the United States in the project of building light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea. I want to make it clear again that Korea will take a central role in that project as promised. But at the same time, I feel it is incumbent upon the United States to consider Korea’s current economic situation in approaching this matter.
Second, we should be careful not to isolate North Korea from the international community. So in principle, I do not oppose the U.S. efforts to expand the scope of its relations with North Korea. However, I believe that we need to exercise caution so as to avoid the possibility of North Korea perceiving a gap in the positions between the Republic and the United States and using it to its advantage. That possibility alone is reason enough for our two countries to coordinate policies with each other ever more closely.
Only when cooperation is maintained, will smooth dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang be possible.
Third, issues involving economic and other forms of interaction between the South and the North should be initiated and duly observed by the two parties concerned. Structuring a permanent peace regime on the Peninsula, in turn, will have to be negotiated in the Four Party Talks. On these two principles, the United States has already expressed support for my government’s position, and I appreciate that.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We cannot emphasize enough the need to embrace North Korea as a member of the international community while maintaining a solid security agreement between the Republic and the United States. In this regard, I’d like to reiterate the three fundamental principles of my administration’s policies toward North Korea that I outlined at the time of my inauguration in February.
First, we will not tolerate any military threat or armed provocation. This principle is based on my belief that any provocative action is certain to have extremely serious consequences for both the South and the North and would threaten the stability and security of Northeast Asia at large.
Second, we will not seek to undermine North Korea or unify the divided land by absorbing it. We all know the political, economic and psychological difficulties that both West and East Germans suffered after West Germany absorbed the East. I cannot even imagine what kind of difficulties we might experience, if we tried to undermine North Korea and annex it. I declare, once and for all, we have no intention whatsoever of absorbing North Korea.
Third, we will pursue genuine interaction and reconciliation with the North. Our economic interaction and cooperation will be based on the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North adopted in 1991. In accordance with this new guideline, the new Korean government is now pursuing a policy of separating politics from private sector business activities. We will also encourage exchanges of people and promote cooperation in cultural, social, and industrial areas.
As a case in point, the founder of Hyundai Corporation is planning to make a road journey back to North Korea very soon. He will be taking 500 cows with him all the way to his birth place, and will donate the animals to the people there. Koreans have had a special attachment to cows since ancient times. The giver and receivers of the cows are sure to share feelings of genuine love that have been suppressed for the past 50 years of separation. Mr. Chung’s trip, if realized, will be a good start toward reconciliation.
As for my administration’s policy directives for the exchanges and cooperative efforts of the South and the North, they are as follows.
First, we will continue to provide emergency humanitarian assistance—whether by the government or private sector—with no strings attached. We have already donated 50,000 tons of food through the Red Cross, and recently announced provision of another 50,000 tons through the World Food Program (WFP).
Second, we will promote economic exchanges and cooperation between the South and the North. To facilitate such exchanges, my government has recently lifted some restrictions on business trips to North Korea and abolished ceilings on investment in the North. I believe both sides will benefit if capital and technology from the South are combined with labor in the North.
Third we will provide non-emergency governmental aid under the principle of reciprocity, considering that money comes from our taxpayers after all. In the South-North vice-ministerial tam held in Beijing last April, we did not commit fertilizer provisions requested by the North Koreans because they declined our humanitarian request to arrange reunions of family members who have been separated for half a century. We are ready to provide fertilizer to North Korea as soon as we receive a positive response on our proposal.
Even though the Beijing talks did not produce any concrete agreement, the talks were significant in that the two sides met for the first time in four years. We plan to patiently continue our efforts for dialogue.
I understand my administration’s position is firmly supported by the United States, Japan, China, and Russia, as well as the Korean people. Not only that, I was very much encouraged by the support given to my position by the Asian and European leaders at ASEM in London last April.
As I conclude my speech here, I sincerely hope that you will support us in our efforts to secure peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Thank you very much for joining me here today.
*: Kim Dae Jung is the President of Korea. Back.
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