February 6 – February 19, 2014
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region.
U.S.-ROK RELATIONS
U.S. Representative Ed Royce Visits Seoul
On February 18, Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee led a bipartisan delegation of
House colleagues to South Korea. They met with President Park
Geun-hye at the Blue House, where she commended Royce for his
recent visit to a monument commemorating comfort women in
Glendale, California, and his tribute to Hwang Geum-ja, one of the
few surviving comfort women, who had recently passed away, saying his act touched the hearts of the Korean people. They also met
with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se later in the day to discuss the
U.S.-ROK alliance and bilateral issues.
TRADE AND ECONOMICS
South Korea Continues Talks to Join TPP
The South Korean government has been holding a series of bilateral
talks with countries participating in the regional free trade agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which currently
comprises of 12 member states. On February 12, Deputy Trade Minister Choi Kyong-lim said that, despite the complex negotiations,
South Korea will try to complete its procedure to join as soon as possible. The government has already finished talks with 11 of the
member countries, with talks with Japan scheduled in March.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Visits South Korea
On February 13, Secretary Kerry began his Asia trip by
going to South Korea for two days. He met with President Park Geun-hye and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se
during his stay. Pictured here with him is the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim, eating stir-fried rice
cakes (떡볶이) in the streets of Seoul.
Photo Credit: U.S. State Department Flickr photostream.
REGIONAL RELATIONS
ROK and Japan Hold Talks in Seoul
Junichi Ihara, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s
Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met with his South Korean
counterpart, Lee Sang-deok, the ROK Foreign Ministry’s deputy director-general for Northeast Asian affairs, on February 18 in Seoul.
This is the first director-general level meeting since Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine in December 2013.
China Diplomats Visit North Korea
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on February 12 that a
group of Chinese diplomats, led by Xing Haiming, deputy directorgeneral of Asian affairs, had visited North Korea a week earlier,
making it the first reported visit since the death of Jang Song-thaek
in December last year. On February 17, Vice Foreign Minister Liu
Zhenmin of China began a four-day trip to North Korea to discuss
bilateral issues.
DOMESTIC POLITICS
UPP Lawmaker Lee Seok-ki Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison
Unified Progressive Party (UPP) lawmaker Lee Seok-ki was given the
guilty verdict and sentenced to 12 years in prison on February 17 for
President Obama Returns to South Korea in April
On February 12, the White House released President
Barack Obama’s official itinerary for his April trip to
Asia. He will be returning to South Korea for the fourth
time, the first since his reelection in 2012. He is also
going to Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Photo credit: The White House.
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR | 2
plotting and inciting an armed uprising against the South Korean
government. In addition to the prison term, he also received a 10year suspension of his civil rights after release. Lee’s six fellow defendants were also convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging
from four to seven years. Lee’s lawyer announced that they would
appeal.
INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS
High-level Inter-Korean Talks Held
On February 13–14, North and South Korea held the first high-level
inter-Korean meeting in seven years in the peace village of Panmunjom. The South Korean delegation was led by Kim Kyou-hyun, vice
foreign minister, and the North Korean delegation was led by Won
Tong-yon, deputy director of the United Front Department. On the
second day of the meeting, the two agreed to hold the family reunions as scheduled from February 20–25 in the Mount Kumgang Resort in North Korea. The two sides also agreed to a “no-slander”
agreement to promote “mutual understanding and trust.”
NORTH KOREA
UN Commission of Inquiry Report Released
On February 17, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea released its 400-page UNmandated report on human rights violations in the country. This
report was released after a year of investigation, in which the Commission obtained first-hand testimony from 80 witnesses in Seoul,
Tokyo, London, and Washington, D.C., as well as information from
more than 240 confidential interviews with victims and witnesses.
The three-member Commission is composed of Michael Kirby, the
chairman, Sonja Biserko, and Marzuki Darusman, and they will formally present their findings to the Human Rights Council in Geneva,
Switzerland, on March 17. The report documented numerous crimes
and human rights abuses committed by the North Korean government. One of its recommendation for the international community
was to render those accountable to be responsible for their crimes
against humanity, which may mean bringing Kim Jong-un to the
International Criminal Court for his actions.
USFK Commander Visits ROK Naval Operations Command
USFK Commander Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti visited the South
Korean Naval Operations Command on February 6, and
met with the ROK Naval Operations Commander Jung Hoseob and the Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Korea
Lisa Franchetti to discuss deterrence and combined operation readiness.
Photo credit: UNC-CFC-USFK Flickr photostream.
Preparations for February 20-25 Family Reunion
Preparations are underway for the scheduled family
reunion from February 20 to 25 at Mount Kumgang
Resort, where 82 South Koreans and 88 North Koreans
will meet their family members.
Photo Credit: D-Stanley Flickr photostream.
Looking Ahead
Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead.
 February 20–23 | A group of 42 ROK National Assembly lawmakers, led by Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the
Saenuri Party will visit China and meet with senior Chinese government officials, including President Xi Jinping.
 February 20–25| Family reunions between South Korea and North Korea will be held in Mount Kumgang Hotel.
 February 24–March 6 | South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Key Resolve military exercise.
 February 24–April 18 | South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Foal Eagle military exercise
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR
CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors:
Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair
Marie DuMond, Research Associate
Sang Jun Lee, Research Assistant
Andy Lim, Senior Research Intern
Eunchong Jeon, Research Intern
Hannah Suh, Research Intern
Sanford Hesler, Research Intern
Wonseok Lee, Research Intern
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