Naver US Deputy Secretary of State: "Honest Talks with Han on 5G Deployment"

by Na Juseok

Published 11 Dec.2020 11:23(KST)

"Strong Cooperation in the Digital Economy Sector"
Reserved Comments on South Korea's Participation in Pressure on China

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Mark Napier, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan in the East Asia and Pacific Bureau, stated that South Korea and the U.S. are having candid discussions regarding the deployment of fifth-generation mobile communications (5G).

On the 10th (local time), Deputy Assistant Secretary Napier spoke at a virtual event hosted by the U.S. think tank Atlantic Council, themed "Prospects for Korea-U.S. Cooperation under the New Southern Policy and Indo-Pacific Strategy," saying, "Based on fundamental principles and shared values such as democracy, openness, and transparency, South Korea and the U.S. are cooperating very well in the digital economy sector with a joint goal of building a technology ecosystem founded on trust and openness."

He continued, "As we continue to build 5G infrastructure, we are having very candid and open conversations and clearly share the goal of ensuring the protection of citizens' data, privacy, and government security."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Napier added, "We can say that our two countries share the same goals and priorities in the Indo-Pacific, and we are cooperating very closely in our efforts toward our common objectives."

While Napier mentioned cooperation between South Korea and the U.S., he refrained from making specific remarks regarding South Korea's participation in pressure against China.

The U.S. has pressured its allies to exclude Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei from 5G deployment projects. Recently, the U.S. Congress included a provision in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that calls for reconsidering troop deployments to countries using 5G technology from Chinese companies such as Huawei.