[Full Text] Joint Statement by South Korea and US Leaders... "The ROK-US Alliance, Built Over 70 Years of Fighting Together"

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Joint Statement by the Republic of Korea and the United States Presidents

May 21, 2021

The alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States was forged over 70 years ago on the battlefield, fighting shoulder to shoulder. Our partnership, united by shared sacrifice, has contributed to maintaining peace for decades, enabling prosperity for both nations and their peoples. The ROK-US alliance, a cornerstone of stability and prosperity, has continuously evolved in response to changes in the international landscape surrounding both countries. As the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region becomes increasingly complex and the world is reshaped by existential threats ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, we reaffirm our commitment to an unbreakable alliance.

South Korea and the United States share a vision for a region governed by democratic norms, human rights, and the rule of law, both domestically and internationally. We seek a partnership that is a pillar of regional and global order and ensures lasting peace and prosperity for our peoples. Above all, we are united in our resolve to invigorate our relationship for a new era and keep pace with the times. President Biden considers it an honor to welcome President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea to Washington to open a new chapter in the partnership between our two countries.

Opening a New Chapter in the ROK-US Alliance

President Moon Jae-in and President Biden reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the defense of South Korea under the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty and the combined defense posture of the alliance. President Biden confirmed the United States’ pledge to provide extended deterrence using all available capabilities. We commit to strengthening the alliance’s deterrence posture, share the importance of maintaining joint military readiness, and once again emphasize our firm resolve for a conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control. We also agreed to deepen cooperation in other domains such as cyber and space to ensure effective joint responses to new threats. We welcomed the signing of the multi-year Special Measures Agreement on defense cost-sharing, which enhances the combined defense posture and demonstrates our commitment to the alliance.

Both sides reaffirmed that close cooperation on global non-proliferation, nuclear safety, nuclear security, and the peaceful use of nuclear technology under safeguards is a core hallmark of the alliance. The United States acknowledged South Korea’s international role in advancing non-proliferation efforts. South Korea announced the termination of the revised missile guidelines after consultations with the United States, and the two leaders recognized this decision.

President Moon and President Biden emphasized their joint commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and their determination to address North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. We called on the international community, including North Korea, to fully implement relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Moon welcomed the completion of the United States’ review of its North Korea policy, which adopts a sophisticated and pragmatic approach, expressing openness to diplomacy with North Korea to achieve substantive progress in enhancing the security of both South Korea and the United States. We also reaffirmed our shared belief that diplomacy and dialogue based on existing inter-Korean and North Korea-US commitments, such as the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration and the Singapore Joint Statement, are essential to achieving complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. President Biden also expressed support for inter-Korean dialogue, engagement, and cooperation. We agreed to cooperate to improve the human rights situation in North Korea and to continue promoting humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable North Korean people. We also shared our commitment to support the facilitation of reunions for separated families. Furthermore, we agreed to coordinate our approaches to North Korea to ensure full alignment. We emphasized the fundamental importance of trilateral cooperation among the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan in addressing North Korean issues, safeguarding our shared security and prosperity, supporting common values, and strengthening a rules-based order.

The significance of the ROK-US relationship extends far beyond the Korean Peninsula, grounded in our shared values and based on our respective approaches to the Indo-Pacific region. We agreed to cooperate to link South Korea’s New Southern Policy with the United States’ Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision and to work together to create a secure, prosperous, and dynamic region. South Korea and the United States reaffirmed support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led regional architecture. We agreed to expand regional cooperation related to law enforcement, cybersecurity, public health, and green recovery. We will work closely to deepen people-to-people ties among the peoples of South Korea, the United States, and Southeast Asia, while promoting connectivity and digital innovation within ASEAN. We will also explore ways to jointly promote sustainable development, energy security, and responsible water resource management in the Mekong region. South Korea and the United States reaffirmed support for enhanced cooperation with Pacific Island countries and recognized the importance of open, transparent, and inclusive regional multilateralism such as the Quad.

South Korea and the United States oppose all acts that undermine, destabilize, or threaten the rules-based international order and pledge to maintain an inclusive, free, and open Indo-Pacific region. We commit to upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea and other areas, including respect for international law and freedom of legitimate and unimpeded commerce, navigation, and overflight. Presidents Biden and Moon emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. As democracies that value pluralism and individual freedoms, we share a commitment to promoting human rights and the rule of law at home and abroad.

We strongly condemn the violence by Myanmar’s military and police against civilians and pledge to continue pressing for an immediate end to violence, the release of detainees, and a swift return to democracy. We call on all countries to provide safe refuge to the people of Myanmar and to join in banning arms sales to Myanmar.

Comprehensive Cooperation Toward a Better Future

President Moon and President Biden recognize the need to strengthen the bilateral partnership in new areas in response to the threats and challenges of our time. We pledge to forge new bonds in climate, global health, emerging technologies including 5G and 6G and semiconductors, supply chain resilience, migration and development, and our people-to-people exchanges.

President Moon welcomed the United States’ leadership in raising global climate goals through the Climate Leaders Summit hosted on April 22, 2021. President Biden expressed his expectation that South Korea’s hosting of the P4G Seoul Summit on May 30-31 will contribute to an inclusive and international green recovery and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. The United States has submitted an enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and welcomed South Korea’s plan to announce an enhanced provisional 2030 NDC in early October consistent with efforts to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and the global goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, followed by an enhanced final NDC by COP26. We will cooperate to achieve the 2030 NDC and long-term strategies for the 2050 carbon neutrality goal, setting an example among world leaders in reducing carbon emissions, preserving and enhancing natural carbon sinks such as oceans and forests, and expanding essential cooperation in technology and innovation to contribute to achieving our long-term goals.

Building on President Moon’s announcement to halt new public financial support for overseas coal-fired power plants and President Biden’s climate crisis response executive order, South Korea and the United States will cooperate in the OECD and other international forums to end all forms of new public financial support for unabated overseas coal-fired power plants.

The two countries will align international public financial support with achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and significantly reducing emissions during the 2020s. South Korea looks forward to joining the United States and other countries’ efforts to provide climate finance for new post-2025 mobilization targets under the Paris Agreement.

South Korea and the United States have been key allies in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and longstanding global health challenges. President Biden expressed gratitude for South Korea’s donation of critical medical supplies during urgent times. Against this backdrop, we agreed to establish a comprehensive ROK-US Global Vaccine Partnership to strengthen joint pandemic response capabilities through international vaccine cooperation, including scientific and technological collaboration, production, and global scale-up of related materials. South Korea and the United States will leverage their respective strengths to cooperate in expanding production of vaccines that have been rigorously evaluated by regulatory authorities or the World Health Organization and proven safe and effective. South Korea and the United States will be partners in timely meeting the increased demand for safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Based on this partnership, we will actively cooperate to significantly expand global COVID-19 vaccine supply to countries worldwide, including coordination with COVAX and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to end the pandemic in the near future and prepare for future biological threats. To this end, we will launch a ROK-US Global Vaccine Partnership Expert Group, a high-level group of scientists, experts, and government officials from both countries to implement the partnership. The two countries will actively cooperate to ensure the success of COVAX, and South Korea appreciates the United States’ bold decision to contribute $4 billion this year. In light of this and the joint leadership of the ROK and US in COVID-19 response, South Korea will significantly increase its contribution commitment to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) within this year.

We agreed to cooperate to strengthen and reform the World Health Organization (WHO) by enhancing its capacity to prevent, detect, and respond early and effectively to potential health emergencies, improving transparency, and ensuring independence. We will also support transparent and independent evaluations and analyses of the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak and investigations of future outbreaks of unknown origin. We are resolved to take bold actions to improve pandemic preparedness in the Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally to help all countries build capacities for pandemic prevention, detection, and response. To advance these goals, South Korea will expand its engagement with the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Steering Committee and Action Package Working Groups and commit $200 million in new pledges from 2021 to 2025 to support GHSA goals and close gaps among partner countries. Additionally, South Korea and the United States will work with like-minded countries to establish a sustainable and catalytic new health security financing mechanism.

South Korea and the United States are among each other’s largest trade and investment partners, with strong economic ties anchored by agreements such as the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). The two leaders agreed to work closely to reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) and expressed a joint resolve to oppose unfair trade practices.

In response to the rapid changes in the technological environment, we agreed to strengthen partnerships in key and emerging technology sectors to promote shared security and prosperity. We agreed on the importance of close cooperation on rigorous screening of foreign investments and export controls on critical technologies. Presidents Moon and Biden recognized the importance of telecommunications security and supplier diversity and pledged to cooperate to develop open, transparent, efficient, and open 5G and 6G network architectures using Open-RAN technology. To this end, we will cooperate to enhance supply chain resilience, including in priority sectors such as semiconductors, eco-friendly EV batteries, strategic and critical materials, and pharmaceuticals. We also agreed to cooperate to expand the global supply of legacy semiconductor chips for automobiles through increased mutual investment promotion and research and development cooperation and to support cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing in both countries. Presidents Moon and Biden pledged to cooperate to develop a future-oriented partnership by leading innovation in clean energy fields such as next-generation batteries, hydrogen energy, and carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as emerging technology fields including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, next-generation mobile communications (6G), Open-RAN technology, quantum technology, and biotechnology.

Additionally, Presidents Moon and Biden pledged to strengthen partnerships in private space exploration, science, and aerospace research and will cooperate to support South Korea’s signing of the Artemis Accords. Furthermore, we commit to advancing cooperation in overseas nuclear power markets, including joint participation in nuclear power projects, while ensuring the highest standards of international nuclear safety, nuclear security, and non-proliferation.

President Moon and President Biden welcome opportunities to strengthen the development cooperation relationship between South Korea and the United States. We are pleased to expand our partnership to promote closer cooperation between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). We also recognize the importance of addressing the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America to the United States. To this end, South Korea commits to increasing its financial contributions for development cooperation with the Northern Triangle countries to $220 million from 2021 to 2024. The United States welcomed South Korea’s initiative to expand cooperation with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including digital and green cooperation.

The enduring friendship between South Korea and the United States is further strengthened through active people-to-people ties. Since 1955, over 1.7 million Korean students have enrolled in U.S. educational institutions. More than 2 million Korean citizens have visited, worked, or resided in the United States, and over 200,000 U.S. citizens reside in South Korea. Over 10,000 citizens from both countries, including Korean political leaders, have participated in sponsored exchange programs. We take great pride in the 60th anniversary of the first cohort of ROK-US Fulbright scholars visiting each other’s countries. This demonstrates the depth and strength of the longstanding bonds between the peoples of South Korea and the United States. Broad exchange programs between the two countries promote the achievement of our shared goals. We agreed to expand reciprocal exchanges among young environmental leaders to strengthen bilateral cooperation capabilities in key areas such as the environment. Furthermore, we place special importance on supporting expanded exchanges among experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and empowering women to build a stable and sustainable foundation for innovation and economic resilience in both countries.

President Moon and President Biden also agreed to redouble efforts to promote democratic values and human rights at home and abroad. The strength of our democracies is based on the full participation of women. We will work to end abuse against women and girls, including domestic violence and online exploitation, and exchange best practices to narrow the gender wage gap, which remains an issue in both countries. We will expand cooperation to combat corruption and to guarantee freedom of expression, religion, and belief. Finally, we join in condemning violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and pledge to cooperate to ensure that all Americans, including Korean Americans, are treated with dignity and respect.

In the face of international challenges and a rapidly changing global environment, President Moon and President Biden recognize the obstacles facing South Korea, the United States, and the world. We acknowledge that through cooperation, the ROK-US alliance can expand its international role to address significant challenges. Our alliance has been a source of unwavering national strength for over 70 years, based on reciprocity and dynamism. We look forward to working closely to ensure the ROK-US alliance continues to be so for decades to come. President Moon expressed gratitude for President Biden’s warm hospitality and extended an invitation for President Biden to visit South Korea.

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