Cheong Wa Dae: EU condemnation of North Korea does not conflict with efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula

  [Financial News Rome, Italy = Reporter Choi Jong-geun]Cheong Wa Dae said that the condemnation of North Korea, which was included in the joint statement issued on the occasion of President Lee Jae-myung's summit with the European Union (EU), does not conflict with efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. "Some may say this is inconsistent with an approach aimed at reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but that is not the case," it said.
A senior Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on the 12th local time at the press center in Rome, Italy, where President Lee was carrying out his state visit schedule, that the two sides are pursuing two parallel goals. "It is not contradictory. We always state and pursue our principles, pursue denuclearization, and at the same time pursue peace-building and tension reduction," the official said. "All of that is reflected."
The official added, "We reflected our position on easing tensions and building peace on the Korean Peninsula, and the European Union (EU) agreed because that is our stated position and one the EU supports, so it is all reflected in the joint statement."
Earlier, after holding a summit with António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, on the 10th, President Lee adopted a joint statement that said, "We condemn third-party support that enables Russia's continued war of aggression against Ukraine, especially North Korea's support. We strongly condemn the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea."
Cheong Wa Dae's senior official said, "When we draft a joint statement, only the common ground between the two sides is reflected," adding, "In a sense, when the other side raises a stronger position and that meets our existing position, the result can only be organized at the level of our existing stance." The official also said, "I cannot disclose all the details of the consultations, but among the positions held by the EU, there are many that are even stronger than ours."
Cheong Wa Dae made clear that the joint statement does not signal a shift in policy, but rather reflects its existing diplomatic principles in a statement with the EU.
The senior official said, "The content in the joint statement reflects the positions we have taken all along," adding, "So I do not think this will newly become a burden on relations between Russia and North Korea. It is simply a summary of the positions we have already made public." The official added, "At the same time, we will continue our efforts to ease tensions with North Korea and build peace. We will also seek progress in relations with Russia through possible communication, while maintaining the basic principles we have held."
The official also pushed back against questions over whether the EU had raised the tone of the joint statement.
The senior official said, "The expressions used now do not go beyond the level we have maintained so far," explaining, "Our position on North Korea's human rights issues and Russia-North Korea military cooperation is exactly as it has been stated, and it was simply reflected here." The official added, "And the reason it was included is that this is a joint statement with the EU, which is a somewhat different entity, so it covered a range of issues. But the scope of what was included was determined within the bounds of what we had already stated, and nothing went further because of the EU."

cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter