Jo Hyun Nominee "Dialogue Between North Korea and the US Needed to Solve North Korean Nuclear Issue".. No Discussion on Reduction of US Forces in Korea

On the 17th, Jo Hyun, the nominee for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is scheduled for a confirmation hearing, stated that dialogue between North Korea and the US is necessary to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Donald Trump, President of the United States, is pushing for a meeting by sending a recent letter to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission. However, North Korea is strengthening cooperation with Russia amidst a communication breakdown with the US.
On the 15th, according to materials submitted by Jo's confirmation hearing preparation team to members of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Jo stated, "Dialogue between North Korea and the US is necessary to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue," and "Our government will work to create conditions for dialogue on the North Korean nuclear issue and promote North Korea-US negotiations while closely cooperating with the US."
He also introduced a plan that when North Korea-US negotiations resume, "We aim to block the enhancement of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, reduce nuclear capabilities, and ultimately completely eliminate the threat through phased agreements and simultaneous actions."
Jo evaluated the "Peace through Strength" approach of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration towards North Korea, stating, "There has been no substantial progress in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, while North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities have been advanced and missile provocations have significantly increased."
He continued, "Our government will no longer tolerate the breakdown of communication between the two Koreas and the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities while maintaining strong deterrence against North Korea," and emphasized, "We will open the door to dialogue and prioritize restoring inter-Korean relations through measures to ease military tension and build trust on the Korean Peninsula."
Jo also stated that there have been no discussions related to the withdrawal or reduction of US forces in Korea between South Korea and the US. There have been claims within the US that a change in the role of the 28,500 US troops in Korea and a reduction of up to nearly half of the troops is necessary. Jo explained, "The necessity of maintaining the current level of US forces in Korea is widely recognized in the US Congress and academia."
Regarding the Trump administration's pressure to significantly increase the defense cost-sharing for US forces in Korea, he stated, "(During the Joe Biden administration) the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing was effectively concluded and implemented, and it is not subject to renegotiation, which is our government's basic position."
He added, "The government has continuously expanded its comprehensive contribution to the alliance, including increasing the cost of stationing US forces in Korea, and intends to actively explain this to the US side."
He stated, "Based on the consensus between the South Korean and US leaders, we will establish and announce a joint vision to develop the South Korea-US alliance into a 'future-oriented comprehensive strategic alliance,' and we will pursue cooperation that can achieve a balanced expansion of mutual benefits beyond sectoral cooperation."
Regarding the strategic competition between the US and China, he prefaced, "The foundation of our diplomacy is the South Korea-US alliance," while mentioning, "However, as the US-China competition heats up, we, as an ally, should be interested and provide necessary support to prevent accidental conflicts."
He also stated that Chinese and Russian leaders will be invited to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) to be held in Gyeongju at the end of October. Jo said, "Taking the Gyeongju APEC as an opportunity, we will restore exchanges between the South Korean and Chinese leaders through the visit of President Xi Jinping to South Korea for the first time in 11 years," and "We will respond firmly and sternly to China's unilateral actions in the West Sea to protect our maritime rights."
He continued, "We will firmly oppose North Korea's military cooperation with Russia, which threatens our security, such as dispatching troops," but added, "Russia will be invited to the APEC summit as a member, and it will be up to Russia to decide who will attend and at what level."
Meanwhile, Jo pointed out regarding the registration of Japan's forced labor facilities for Koreans during the colonial period, such as Battleship Island and Sado Mine, as World Heritage sites, "It is regrettable that Japan is not properly fulfilling its promises and the repeated decisions of the World Heritage Committee."
He added, "We should have strategically dealt with the possibility of Japan not fulfilling its promises from the registration process in 2015, but there were aspects where we did not," and stated that while developing South Korea-Japan cooperation, issues of Japan's unfulfilled promises will be continuously raised. 


rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter