October 8
October 8 - October 21, 2015
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region. U.S.-ROK RELATIONS President Obama Hosts President Park for Summit From October 15 to 18, President Park Geun-hye visitied Washington, D.C. and held a summit meeting with President Barack Obama on October 16. After the summit, they adopted the 2015 U.S.-ROK Joint Statement on North Korea, which addressed U.S. and ROK commitments to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and provocations. They also adopted a “Joint Fact Sheet: The U.S.-ROK Alliance: Shared Values, New Frontiers” that reaffirmed the solidarity of the U.S.-ROK alliance. ECONOMICS AND TRADE Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Negotiations From October 12 - 16, the ROK MOTIE began the 10th round of talks for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Busan. This marked the first time that the ROK has hosted the RCEP talks, which involved 700 officials from 16 countries. The ongoing RCEP negotiations are focused on setting comprehensive guidelines for market access and liberalization and selecting the list of sectors for liberalization. ROK Ministry of Trade Seeks to Advance Bilateral Cooperation On October 6, Second Vice Minister Moon Jae-do of the ROK Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) attended the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting (TMM) in Istanbul and held sideline meetings with his counterparts from China, Brazil, Turkey, and Canada. On October 12, MOTIE Minister Yoon Sang-jick of the ROK met with Deputy Prime Minister Gulomjon Inomovich Ibragimov of Uzbekistan in Seoul to discuss strengthening bilateral economic cooperation in areas including energy and natural resources.
President Park Visits CSIS President On October 15, President Park Geun‐hye visited the Center for Strategic and Interna onal Studies (CSIS) and delivered remarks on the ROK’s foreign and security policies. Welcoming remarks were given by Dr. John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO, and by Dr. Victor Cha, CSIS senior adviser and Korea Chair. Some 300 U.S. opinion leaders from various sectors of society, including former and incumbent senior officials and academics, a ended the event. Photo credit: CSIS.
DOMESTIC POLITICS New Senior Officials Appointed for ROK Foreign Affairs On October 19, President Park appointed Kim Kyou-hyun as the new senior secretary to the president for foreign affairs and security, replacing Ju Chul-ki. Cho Tae-yong was promoted to fill Kim’s vacant position of first deputy director of national security. Cho’s previous position of first vice minister of foreign affairs was filled by Lim Sung-nam. GLOBAL RELATIONS ROK Attends the Third Arctic Circle Assembly From October 16 to 18, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs Kim Chanwoo led a ROK delegation to attend the Third Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland. The assembly discussed issues such as Arctic development and economy, climate change and environment, and the Arctic route and transportation cooperation.
Dr. Victor Cha Tes fies Before the Senate Commi ee on Foreign Rela ons On October 7, Dr. Victor Cha, CSIS senior adviser and Ko‐ rea Chair, tes fied before the Senate Commi ee on For‐ eign Rela ons, Subcommi ee on East Asia, the Pacific, and Interna onal Cybersecurity, on “Assessing the North Korea Threat and U.S. Policy: Strategic Pa ence for Effec ve De‐ terrence?” Photo credit: CSIS.
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GLOBAL RELATIONS (continued) ROK to Chair Missile Technology Control Regime On October 9, the ROK was chosen as the next chair of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) for 2016–2017 term at the MTCR 29th plenary meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. ROK-JAPAN RELATIONS ROK and Japan Defense Ministers Meet in Seoul On October 20, the Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani held talks at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul. This was the first meeting between the two countries’ defense ministers in Seoul since 2011. They had met earlier during the ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore in May 2015. INTER-KOREA RELATIONS Separated Families Meet in Mt. Kumgang In the first of two rounds of family reunions, 389 South Korean and 141 North Korean separated family members met at the 20th inter-Korean family reunion held at a resort in Mt. Kumgang on October 20 - 22. The second round is scheduled to be held from October 24 to 26 at Mt. Kumgang.
German President Visits the ROK Joachim Gauck of Germany visited Korea for a state visit from October 11 to 14. On October 12, President Gauck held a summit mee ng with President Park, where they discussed issues including the peaceful unifica on of the Korean peninsula, improving bilateral coopera on, the current state of Northeast Asia, and the North Korea nu‐ clear weapons program. Photo credit: The Blue House.
NORTH KOREA North Korea Celebrates the Founding of WPK On October 10, North Korea held a grand military parade and public procession of citizens at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Kim Jong-un delivered a speech commemorating the event, his first public speech in three years. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings on North Korea Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy and deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan, and Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on October 20, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Obama administration’s North Korea policy. The hearing was titled, “The Persistent North Korea Denuclearization and Human Rights Challenge.”
China ‐ DPRK Open the Dandong Mutual Trade District October 15, China and North Korea launched the cross‐ border Guomenwan trade zone in the Chinese border city of Dandong. The fourth annual China–North Korea Eco‐ nomic, Trade, Cultural and Tourism Expo also opened in Dandong on October 15 and will conclude October 18. Photo credit: 江边 bank of Yalu River in Dandong" by Jacky Lee. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons.
Looking Ahead Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead.
October 22 - 23 | The International Forum on Northeast Asia Nuclear Safety Cooperation will be held in Seoul.
October 24 - 26 | The second round of inter-Korean Family reunions. To be held at Mr. Kumgang.
October 28 - 31 | The Inter-Korean Labor Union Soccer match will be held in Pyongyang.
November 3 -4| President François Hollande of France will make a state visit to the ROK.
Early November | A China-Japan-Korea Trilateral Summit will be held in Seoul, the first such meeting amongst these there leaders since they came to office.
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors: Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair Marie DuMond, Assistant Director Andy Lim, Research Assistant Chanil Jung, KF‐CSIS Junior Researcher Si‐Ryoung Kim, Research Intern Hahyung Lee, Research Intern Heajin Kim, Research Intern For more details on our programs and real‐ me updates from CSIS, follow the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair on: Facebook at h p://www.facebook.com/csiskoreachair Twi er at @CSISKoreaChair Our website at h p://csis.org/program/korea‐chair iTunesU using your iPad or iPhone at h p://itunes.com/csis.
KoreaChair Monitor is a biweekly publica on of the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair, available online. CSIS is a private, nonprofit ins tu on headquartered in Washington, D.C., focusing on inter‐ na onal public policy issues. Its research is nonpar san and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy posi ons; accordingly, all views expressed in this publica on should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). © 2015 by the Center for Strategic and Interna onal Studies. All rights reserved.
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region. U.S.-ROK RELATIONS President Obama Hosts President Park for Summit From October 15 to 18, President Park Geun-hye visitied Washington, D.C. and held a summit meeting with President Barack Obama on October 16. After the summit, they adopted the 2015 U.S.-ROK Joint Statement on North Korea, which addressed U.S. and ROK commitments to counter the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and provocations. They also adopted a “Joint Fact Sheet: The U.S.-ROK Alliance: Shared Values, New Frontiers” that reaffirmed the solidarity of the U.S.-ROK alliance. ECONOMICS AND TRADE Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Negotiations From October 12 - 16, the ROK MOTIE began the 10th round of talks for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Busan. This marked the first time that the ROK has hosted the RCEP talks, which involved 700 officials from 16 countries. The ongoing RCEP negotiations are focused on setting comprehensive guidelines for market access and liberalization and selecting the list of sectors for liberalization. ROK Ministry of Trade Seeks to Advance Bilateral Cooperation On October 6, Second Vice Minister Moon Jae-do of the ROK Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) attended the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting (TMM) in Istanbul and held sideline meetings with his counterparts from China, Brazil, Turkey, and Canada. On October 12, MOTIE Minister Yoon Sang-jick of the ROK met with Deputy Prime Minister Gulomjon Inomovich Ibragimov of Uzbekistan in Seoul to discuss strengthening bilateral economic cooperation in areas including energy and natural resources.
President Park Visits CSIS President On October 15, President Park Geun‐hye visited the Center for Strategic and Interna onal Studies (CSIS) and delivered remarks on the ROK’s foreign and security policies. Welcoming remarks were given by Dr. John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO, and by Dr. Victor Cha, CSIS senior adviser and Korea Chair. Some 300 U.S. opinion leaders from various sectors of society, including former and incumbent senior officials and academics, a ended the event. Photo credit: CSIS.
DOMESTIC POLITICS New Senior Officials Appointed for ROK Foreign Affairs On October 19, President Park appointed Kim Kyou-hyun as the new senior secretary to the president for foreign affairs and security, replacing Ju Chul-ki. Cho Tae-yong was promoted to fill Kim’s vacant position of first deputy director of national security. Cho’s previous position of first vice minister of foreign affairs was filled by Lim Sung-nam. GLOBAL RELATIONS ROK Attends the Third Arctic Circle Assembly From October 16 to 18, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs Kim Chanwoo led a ROK delegation to attend the Third Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland. The assembly discussed issues such as Arctic development and economy, climate change and environment, and the Arctic route and transportation cooperation.
Dr. Victor Cha Tes fies Before the Senate Commi ee on Foreign Rela ons On October 7, Dr. Victor Cha, CSIS senior adviser and Ko‐ rea Chair, tes fied before the Senate Commi ee on For‐ eign Rela ons, Subcommi ee on East Asia, the Pacific, and Interna onal Cybersecurity, on “Assessing the North Korea Threat and U.S. Policy: Strategic Pa ence for Effec ve De‐ terrence?” Photo credit: CSIS.
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR | 2
GLOBAL RELATIONS (continued) ROK to Chair Missile Technology Control Regime On October 9, the ROK was chosen as the next chair of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) for 2016–2017 term at the MTCR 29th plenary meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. ROK-JAPAN RELATIONS ROK and Japan Defense Ministers Meet in Seoul On October 20, the Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo and his Japanese counterpart Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani held talks at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul. This was the first meeting between the two countries’ defense ministers in Seoul since 2011. They had met earlier during the ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore in May 2015. INTER-KOREA RELATIONS Separated Families Meet in Mt. Kumgang In the first of two rounds of family reunions, 389 South Korean and 141 North Korean separated family members met at the 20th inter-Korean family reunion held at a resort in Mt. Kumgang on October 20 - 22. The second round is scheduled to be held from October 24 to 26 at Mt. Kumgang.
German President Visits the ROK Joachim Gauck of Germany visited Korea for a state visit from October 11 to 14. On October 12, President Gauck held a summit mee ng with President Park, where they discussed issues including the peaceful unifica on of the Korean peninsula, improving bilateral coopera on, the current state of Northeast Asia, and the North Korea nu‐ clear weapons program. Photo credit: The Blue House.
NORTH KOREA North Korea Celebrates the Founding of WPK On October 10, North Korea held a grand military parade and public procession of citizens at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Kim Jong-un delivered a speech commemorating the event, his first public speech in three years. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings on North Korea Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy and deputy assistant secretary for Korea and Japan, and Robert King, U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on October 20, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Obama administration’s North Korea policy. The hearing was titled, “The Persistent North Korea Denuclearization and Human Rights Challenge.”
China ‐ DPRK Open the Dandong Mutual Trade District October 15, China and North Korea launched the cross‐ border Guomenwan trade zone in the Chinese border city of Dandong. The fourth annual China–North Korea Eco‐ nomic, Trade, Cultural and Tourism Expo also opened in Dandong on October 15 and will conclude October 18. Photo credit: 江边 bank of Yalu River in Dandong" by Jacky Lee. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons.
Looking Ahead Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead.
October 22 - 23 | The International Forum on Northeast Asia Nuclear Safety Cooperation will be held in Seoul.
October 24 - 26 | The second round of inter-Korean Family reunions. To be held at Mr. Kumgang.
October 28 - 31 | The Inter-Korean Labor Union Soccer match will be held in Pyongyang.
November 3 -4| President François Hollande of France will make a state visit to the ROK.
Early November | A China-Japan-Korea Trilateral Summit will be held in Seoul, the first such meeting amongst these there leaders since they came to office.
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors: Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair Marie DuMond, Assistant Director Andy Lim, Research Assistant Chanil Jung, KF‐CSIS Junior Researcher Si‐Ryoung Kim, Research Intern Hahyung Lee, Research Intern Heajin Kim, Research Intern For more details on our programs and real‐ me updates from CSIS, follow the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair on: Facebook at h p://www.facebook.com/csiskoreachair Twi er at @CSISKoreaChair Our website at h p://csis.org/program/korea‐chair iTunesU using your iPad or iPhone at h p://itunes.com/csis.
KoreaChair Monitor is a biweekly publica on of the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair, available online. CSIS is a private, nonprofit ins tu on headquartered in Washington, D.C., focusing on inter‐ na onal public policy issues. Its research is nonpar san and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy posi ons; accordingly, all views expressed in this publica on should be understood to be solely those of the author(s). © 2015 by the Center for Strategic and Interna onal Studies. All rights reserved.
