Cheong Wa Dae warns US Ambassador Harris: "Highly inappropriate... Inter-Korean cooperation is decided by our government"

Harry Harris, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 17th, the Blue House stated that it is "highly inappropriate" for Ambassador Harry Harris, the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, to publicly comment in the media on the remarks made by the host country's president. This public warning came after Ambassador Harris said the previous day that it would be better to handle the South-North cooperation plan independently proposed by our government "through the Korea-U.S. working group," sparking controversy over interference in a sovereign nation.

A Blue House official, speaking to reporters at the Chuncheon Press Center in the afternoon, distanced the administration from the remarks when asked, "Can Ambassador Harris's comments be considered the official U.S. position?" The official replied, "We are always closely cooperating and consulting with the U.S.," and added, "The government will continue to make efforts for substantial progress in inter-Korean relations and the prompt resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks."

This is the first time the Blue House has publicly expressed its position following Ambassador Harris's remarks. Furthermore, it can be seen as a strong warning against Harris's comments, based on the premise of Korea-U.S. cooperation.

Earlier, President Moon Jae-in received a report on the New Northern Policy from Kwon Gu-hoon, Chairman of the Northern Economic Committee, for about two hours at the Blue House that morning. The official refrained from commenting on the content or agenda of the report, citing national interest concerns. However, the official emphasized again that President Moon described it as "a very good opportunity that will be hard to come by again," adding, "This is also true diplomatically."

This appears to emphasize that a timely opportunity for inter-Korean economic cooperation has opened, especially since the U.S. State Department issued a statement the previous day (local time) expressing support for South-North cooperation. Some interpret this message as being directed toward North Korea. However, since North Korea has yet to respond to President Moon's economic cooperation proposal, including the New Year's address, optimism remains cautious.

Meanwhile, the Blue House also rebutted controversy over President Moon Jae-in's remark at the New Year's press conference on the 14th that "the authority over personnel appointments (regarding the prosecution) lies with the minister and the president." Critics argued this contradicts his 2012 presidential campaign pledge to "completely reform the bad practice of the president and the Blue House interfering in prosecution investigations and personnel matters."

The official explained, "The president's personnel authority and the improvement of the (prosecution) personnel system are clearly different matters," adding, "The previous statement should be understood as intending to establish institutional measures to ensure fairness and neutrality in prosecution investigations and personnel matters."

Regarding questions about the prosecution indicting former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk over allegations of 'covering up an inspection' related to former Busan Deputy Mayor Yoo Jae-soo, and about statements from former Blue House Anti-Corruption Secretary Park Hyung-chul concerning 'directed investigations,' the official drew a clear line, saying, "It is not appropriate for the Blue House to comment on ongoing investigations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.