Park Jin "Considering Participation in NATO Summit... Deep Discussions on What Conclusion to Reach Regarding THAAD"

Foreign Minister nominee Park Jin is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 2nd and taking the witness oath. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Jin, the nominee for Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated on the 2nd that he is considering participating in the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit next month. Regarding the additional deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), he expressed a cautious stance, saying that a thorough review must be conducted before reaching a conclusion.

At the confirmation hearing of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the same day, in response to a related question from Lee Tae-gyu, a member of the People's Party, Park said, "I understand that we have been invited by NATO."

The NATO summit is scheduled to be held in Madrid at the end of next month, with participation from four non-member Asia-Pacific countries including South Korea and Japan being discussed. Park explained, "Peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are important," adding, "It is necessary to have discussions with European countries to create a stable environment in relations with China and North Korea."

If President-elect Yoon attends the NATO summit, it will be an opportunity to meet face-to-face again following the summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on the 21st, and it could also be a chance to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Regarding the additional deployment of THAAD, Park showed a cautious attitude, saying, "We need to have deep discussions before making any conclusions." He also hinted at the possibility of Chinese retaliation due to the THAAD deployment, stating, "It is important to ensure that security issues do not negatively affect the economy."

On the issue of deploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in response to North Korea's nuclear threat, he said, "Enhancing the extended deterrence capability through close cooperation in the ROK-U.S. alliance is currently the most important task for peace on the Korean Peninsula," and added, "We are not discussing the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons."

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