From: "Mark A. Smith"
Subject: SNET: Address by: President Kim Dae-jung, President of Korea
Date: 29 Jul 1998 19:02:41 -0400
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Text as Prepared for Delivery
Address by President Kim Dae-jung
at a Luncheon Given by
the Korea Society, the Asia Society
and the Council on Foreign Relations
New Challenges for the
Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia:
The Role of the Republic of Korea and the
United States
June 8, 1998
David Rockefeller Room
The Council on Foreign Relations
New York
"Is Culture Destiny: The Myth of Asia's
Anit-Democratic Values," by Kim Dae-jung
(Foreign Affairs, November/December 1994)
----------------------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1998 by the Council on Foreign Relations, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Last Updated: 9-Jun-98
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