1. First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kyou-hyun met with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns on January 21 to exchange views on the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States; North Korea and its nuclear issue; the situation in Northeast Asia; and global issues.

2. The meeting between the Vice Minister and the Deputy Secretary came after the vice-ministerial strategic dialogue on December 17, 2013, and the foreign ministerial meeting on January 7, 2014, as part of the series of high-level dialogues between the two countries. The latest meeting served as an opportunity to reaffirm their shared goals as allies and to enhance their shared position on the way forward for the bilateral ties.

° The two sides, in particular, took note of the conclusion of their burden-sharing agreement on January 11 and other efforts to make substantive progress on alliance issues in the spirit of alliance and mutual trust. They agreed to continue such joint efforts in order to further strengthen the capabilities of their bilateral alliance.

3. The two sides, as agreed upon at their foreign ministerial meeting on January 7, held an in-depth discussion on the increasingly fluid situation in North Korea since the execution of Jang Seong-taek and their policies toward North Korea.

° The two sides agreed to coordinate their policies toward North Korea more closely by drawing upon their shared understanding on the situation in North Korea. With regard to possible provocations from North Korea, in particular, they reaffirmed their basic position that they will work to deter them and respond firmly based on their combined defense posture, should North Korea carry out a provocation.

° The two sides agreed to put their top priority on the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and continue efforts to produce substantive progress on the issue through close consultation with China and other countries concerned.

° The two sides shared the view that they should work closely together to promote sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula and to lay the groundwork for ushering in the era of reunification of the Peninsula.

4. In view of the growing uncertainty of late in the situation in Northeast Asia, the Vice Minister and the Deputy Secretary agreed to work together to promote peace and cooperation in the region.

° Explaining the ROK government’s position on its relations with Japan, Vice Minister Kim underscored the need for Japan to take sincere measures to move the ROK-Japan relations forward.

6. Deputy Secretary Burns commended the ROK’s cooperation and efforts to resolve key global issues. The two sides agreed to further boost their global partnership for addressing key issues of the global community, including the situation in Syria, the Iranian nuclear issue and Afghanistan issue.


Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation