Minister Kang Kyung-wha Departs for 'Munich Security Conference'... Minister Kang Says "Will Discuss Korean Peninsula Situation if Meeting Pompeo" (Comprehensive)

Attended as Main Session Panelist, First Korean Foreign Minister
Also Pursuing Bilateral Talks with Japan... Minister Kang: "We Have Our Basic Position on GSOMIA"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend the 'Munich Security Conference (MSC)' held in Munich, Germany from the 14th to the 16th (local time). The MSC is an international event where high-ranking officials responsible for foreign affairs and security from various countries gather to exchange opinions. Every year, about 350 officials from 70 countries are invited to participate. This year's MSC is particularly drawing attention to whether bilateral talks between South Korea and the U.S. and South Korea and Japan will take place.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 13th, Minister Kang plans to participate as a panelist in the MSC main session held on the 14th (local time) to explain South Korea's diplomatic policy stance related to efforts to strengthen multilateralism in the international community. This is the first time a South Korean foreign minister has attended the MSC main session and delivered a keynote speech alongside other key figures. Before departing, Minister Kang told reporters at Incheon International Airport, "I will discuss and seek cooperation with major countries on issues such as the P4G Summit, which South Korea is focusing on this year, including COVID-19."

Through this keynote speech, Minister Kang is expected to express views related to strengthening multilateral diplomacy, the main theme of the session, and speak about inter-Korean cooperation projects that the South Korean government has accelerated this year as part of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. She will likely request support from high-ranking foreign and security officials from various countries for resolving the Korean Peninsula issue.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Kim In-cheol explained, "Minister Kang will hold numerous bilateral meetings with ministers and other high-ranking officials from various countries to discuss the development of bilateral relations, evaluate high-level exchanges, strengthen practical cooperation including climate issues such as the 2nd Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 Summit (P4G), and exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, key regional issues, and cooperation on the international stage."

There is also interest in whether bilateral talks with the U.S. and Japanese foreign ministers will be arranged. Minister Kang is pushing for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with whom she held talks last month in San Francisco. Additionally, there is a possibility of a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu. If these talks take place, it would be the first direct dialogue since the trilateral ministerial meeting held in San Francisco last month.

Minister Kang is expected to focus on conveying the necessity of inter-Korean cooperation projects emphasized by President Moon Jae-in in his New Year's address during her meeting with Secretary Pompeo. These include ▲ the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang tourism ▲ cooperation in border areas ▲ joint entry and unified teams for the Tokyo Olympics ▲ inter-Korean railway and road connection projects ▲ joint UNESCO World Heritage registration of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). A Foreign Ministry official stated, "If a meeting with the U.S. takes place, matters related to the Korean Peninsula will naturally be discussed."

Prior to the MSC, Alex Wong, U.S. State Department Deputy Special Representative for North Korea and Deputy Assistant Secretary, visited Korea on the 10th and 11th to hold broad discussions on inter-Korean cooperation projects such as individual tourism to North Korea with Lee Dong-ryeol, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Peace Diplomacy Planning Division, and Lee Moon-hee, Director of the North Korea Nuclear Diplomacy Planning Division. Deputy Representative Wong is scheduled to attend the MSC after concluding U.S.-Russia deputy representative consultations in Russia.

There is also interest in whether discussions will continue regarding the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the U.S., which has not yet secured additional negotiation schedules in bilateral talks with Secretary Pompeo. The two countries held the sixth round of negotiations in the U.S. last month amid a lapse in the agreement but parted ways without narrowing their differences. Issues such as unpaid leave for Korean workers at U.S. Forces Korea have come to the forefront, and both countries face limited time to achieve visible results by this month at the latest. Minister Kang said, "If there is an opportunity, I would like to touch on current issues and share many stories regarding the SMA negotiations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula."

Dialogue between South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers is also reportedly being pursued. While both countries agree on resolving issues through dialogue, they have yet to find solutions to the sharply conflicting issues of forced labor and export restrictions. It is known that there was no progress at the recent South Korea-Japan foreign directors-level meeting held in Korea. The South Korean government judges that the Japanese government’s efforts to withdraw export restrictions unilaterally imposed in July last year have been insufficient. On the other hand, the Japanese government maintains that the forced labor issue was already resolved by the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Agreement and insists that the South Korean Supreme Court’s rulings violate international law.

In this regard, Minister Kang emphasized, "We have a basic position regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) between South Korea and Japan," adding, "We are continuing consultations based on the principle that export restrictions should return to the state before July last year."

Meanwhile, Minister Kang is scheduled to return on the 16th after completing bilateral talks with European countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Finland ahead of the 2nd P4G Summit to be held in June.

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