Tracking Number: 316544
Title: "Lord: US Commitment to Korea Undiminished by North Threat." Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord's remarks to the Korea Society. (931209)
Date: 19931209
Text:
*EPF415 12/09/93 *
LORD: U.S. COMMITMENT TO KOREA UNDIMINISHED BY NORTH THREAT (Text: A/S Winston Lord remarks to Korea Society) (2350) New York -- America's commitment to Korea's security remains undiminished, according to Assistant Secretary of State Winston Lord.
In remarks to the Korea Society in New York City December 9, Lord said: "The threat from North Korea remains the most perilous and noxious legacy of the Cold War. North Korea's refusal to accept its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is a challenge to peace and security on the Peninsula as well as to the global non-proliferation regime."
"If Pyongyang abandons its nuclear option and honors its international non-proliferation obligations, we are prepared to discuss several positive moves," Lord said. "We will consider concrete steps to reduce military tensions. We will consider ways to lift controls progressively on commercial and cultural contacts and cooperation. And, we will consider a gradual expansion of political interaction."
Following is the text of Lord's remarks, as prepared for delivery: (begin text) THE HORIZONS OF U.S.-KOREA RELATIONS Remarks by Winston Lord Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs The Korea Society December 9, 1993 It's a great pleasure to be here tonight. Secretary Christopher, Ambassador Jim Laney and I are grateful to you, Don, for your cooperation with us during this year of transition -- and during what has proven to be a watershed time in U.S.-Korea relations. Your years of service as our Ambassador in Korea were years of activism and accomplishment. You and Meg deserve our nation's profound gratitude.
I am especially honored to be here because the new Korea Society works hard and well to advance the bilateral relationship between the United States and Korea. The merger of the U.S.-Korea Foundation and the Korea Society harnesses the resources of two great organizations in the common pursuit of better understanding and communication across the Pacific. I know first hand about those resources. As many of you may know, Kathleen Harrington, the former President of the U.S.-Korea Foundation, joined my Bureau in August as Special Advisor to me for Commercial Affairs. In a few short months she has been a fresh breeze of vigor and vision at Foggy Bottom.
Forty years ago, at the end of the Korean War, the horizon before Korea and the United States seemed starkly defined by the ravages of that conflict and by the ominous threat of communist expansion. But today, our two nations are partners in peace, linked by open markets and open societies, woven together by the one million Americans of Korean descent.
The Korean countryside, once pockmarked by exploding shells, is now fertile ground for expanding factories. Cities reduced to rubble four decades ago stand today as gleaming testament to Korea's indomitable spirit. That perseverance is captured well in the famous Korean poem about the chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum, the poet wrote, endures thunder, lightning and torrential rain all night long. And yet, in the morning it blooms triumphantly. The Korean people have indeed bloomed triumphantly, and America salutes them.
Decade after decade, the relationship between the United States and Korea has become more durable and mature. In the 1950s, we stood shoulder to shoulder to turn back aggression. In the 1960s and 1970s, thanks in large measure to Korea's astounding economic development, we began building strong economic ties. And in the past several years, as a result of the second "miracle on the Han" -- Korea's democratic miracle -- we have become bound by shared values of democracy and freedom. Together, we have made Asia more secure, more prosperous and more free.
But at the same time, our common horizon is clouded by the nuclear crisis with North Korea. This is a critical moment. We find North Korea balking at steps that the world expects of all responsible nations. And we are reminded that even as we widen the scope of our partnership, the U.S. and South Korea must remain vigilant against the continuing threat posed by the regime in Pyongyang.
In July, President Clinton addressed the National Assembly in Seoul and said that "the time has come to create a new Pacific community built on shared strength, shared prosperity, and a shared commitment to democratic values." The President's vision finds one of its fullest and most vivid expressions in the U.S.-Korea relationship. Tonight, I would like to speak briefly about that relationship, and about the opportunities and challenges we face as we work together to make a reality of the New Pacific Community.
Security Ultimately, our efforts to create a new Pacific community rest on the peace and security of the region. By virtue of history and geography the United States is the one major power in Asia not viewed as a threat. At this unique moment of change not only for the U.S.-Korea relationship but for the region as a whole, we need to preserve what has been reliable. America must remain anchored in Pacific security.
Our security role in Asia begins with our treaty alliances with South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines. In our self interest and those of our friends, we will honor these obligations and maintain our forward military presence throughout the Pacific.
We must also develop new regional approaches to preventing conflicts. That is why last July Secretary Christopher and his fellow Ministers in the region established the ASEAN Regional Security Forum. This forum will supplement, but not supplant, our treaty alliances. It should ease tensions, build confidence and discourage arms races. These security discussions already include the ASEAN nations, the U.S., Japan, Canada, South Korea, Australia, and others. Now they will also include China, Russia and Vietnam.
America's commitment to Korea's security remains undiminished. The threat from North Korea remains the most perilous and noxious legacy of the Cold War. North Korea's refusal to accept its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty is a challenge to peace and security on the Peninsula as well as to the global non-proliferation regime.
The policy lines of the United States are clear and consistent on this issue. We will maintain significant military forces in South Korea as long as Americans and Koreans believe they are needed for deterrence and regional stability. We will continue to support the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency to bring North Korea back to compliance with its non-proliferation obligations. North Korea's nuclear challenge is to the world and the rule of law, not just to the United States. Solving this problem is fundamental to the global quest for a future secure against the threat of nuclear war.
When they met in Washington on November 23, President Clinton and President Kim affirmed that the Republic of Korea and the United States would together make a thorough and broad effort to bring the nuclear issue to a peaceful resolution.
"Thorough" means that the threat of nuclear proliferation must be decisively resolved, and transparency firmly established in the nuclear programs of the North as well as the South. "Broad" acknowledges that it is not sufficient to address nuclear issues in isolation. Though they are the most urgent, nuclear concerns are not the only reason for tension on the Korean peninsula. Reconciliation, peace and prosperity can only be achieved by addressing each dimension of this last unresolved conflict of the Cold War.
If Pyongyang abandons its nuclear option and honors its international non-proliferation obligations, we are prepared to discuss several positive moves. We will consider concrete steps to reduce military tensions. We will consider ways to lift controls progressively on commercial and cultural contacts and cooperation. And, we will consider a gradual expansion of political interaction.
While the United States, South Korea and others in the region have replaced confrontation with a quest for peace and common prosperity, North Korea stands alone. Let me make it very clear that Pyongyang's isolation is of its own doing. The international community does not seek to strangle the DPRK. Ultimately, the future of the Peninsula must be resolved through direct South-North negotiations. We urge renewed efforts by North and South Korea to forge a relationship built on cooperation and mutual respect rather than on fear and enmity.
We look forward to the day when the horizon of prosperity and opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region is within sight for all of its people.
Prosperity Let me turn now to the economic dimension. President Clinton has placed the economic interests of the American people at the heart of American foreign policy. He recognizes that in order to remain influential abroad, we must be strong at home. That is why he has taken bold steps to put America's economic house in order. But the President also recognizes that to prosper in today's fast-changing global economy, we must vigorously, constantly reach out beyond our borders.
Nowhere is that more clear than in Asia. The region is the U.S.'s largest trading partner -- with trade about 50 percent greater than that with Europe. Last year, our exports to Asia and the Pacific totalled nearly $130 billion. That translates into 2.4 million American jobs. America's economic future is increasingly a Pacific future, and that is why the expansion of trade and prosperity is the second core element of a New Pacific Community and of our ties with Korea.
America's interest in improving the trade and investment climate with Korea is hardly surprising. It is our eighth largest trading partner, surpassing France and Italy. We are encouraged by President Kim's reform agenda and by his determination to transform the Korean economy into an outward looking, internationally minded player on the global scene.
Through the Dialogue on Economic Cooperation or DEC, President Clinton and President Kim have signalled their personal commitment to widening the contacts between our two countries. The DEC focuses on the complex of issues that bear directly on the ability of business to do business: tax policy, administrative procedures, investment, competition policy, import clearance. President Kim's announced "Plan for a New Economy" rests squarely on the precepts of the DEC.
Regionally, the United States and Korea share a commitment to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum. Like the United States, Korea has championed APEC's role as a link between Asia and North America, welcomed APEC as a model of open regionalism, and contributed actively to the building of the organization. Seoul served as host of the 1991 Ministerial meeting, and at the Seattle Ministerial was designated Chair of the new Committee on Trade and Investment. We are confident that this new responsibility will have a positive impact on the Kim Administration's efforts to liberalize and internationalize the Korean economy.
At the historic APEC Leaders meeting on Blake Island, President Clinton, President Kim and their colleagues articulated their long-term goals and principles for the region. They established a Pacific business forum; an APEC education program; and an APEC business volunteers program. They also proposed an APEC finance ministers meeting to build on the momentum of the Seattle conference.
During that conference, Korea and the United States joined with the rest of the APEC economies to call for the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round by December 15. APEC backed its call with a package of specific trade liberalizing measures, and that provided an important boost to the GATT negotiations at a critical time. Now, as the days tick down to the deadline, all great trading nations must exercise their great responsibilities by making the tough choices necessary to secure a good agreement. We welcome Korea's decision to do its part to put the global economy on a secure and dynamically growing foundation.
Let me add that The U.S. also supports Korea's goal of joining the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by 1996. We fully expect Korea to accept all of the responsibilities that full membership entails.
Democracy The third core element of a New Pacific Community and of the relationship between the United States and Korea must be the promotion of democracy and human rights. Fostering democracy and human rights not only affirms our values; it serves our interests. Democracies do not attack one another. They make better trading partners. They press for environmental reform. They do not practice terrorism. They do not produce refugees. Open societies, in short, mean enhanced security for all.
Greater openness is also in the clear economic interest of rapidly growing Asian nations. In the age of computers, cellular phones and satellites greater openness is essential to sustain modernization. After all, how can countries attract investment without the rule of law? How can they combat corruption without a free press? How can they generate prosperity without currents of information?
We do not seek to impose an American model; each nation must trace its own path to greater openness. But, the flowering of democracy in Korea is proof that yearnings for freedom and human rights are universal; that they belong to the peoples of Asia no less than others. It is also testament to President Kim Young Sam, whose values and valor have led Korea to a new level of liberty.
Reaching for freedom is not a Western export. It is a human impulse. In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that democratic nations are moved by visions of what will be; "in this direction their unbounded imagination grows and dilates beyond all measure." A Frenchman writing about America in 1840, de Tocqueville understood as well as any observer ever has that the course of a nation's history is determined by its people. He would marvel at the Korean people today as he marveled at Americans a century and a half ago. Korea's passage to democracy is the world's progress, an inspiring measure of what vision, imagination and conviction can create.
Today, the Land of the Morning Calm is poised for a new dawn. As America and Korea look beyond the horizon, we can be confident that our shared security, shared prosperity and shared commitment to democratic values will guide us well.
(end text) NNNN
File Identification: 12/09/93, EPF415
Product Name: Wireless File
Product Code: WF
Keywords: LORD, WINSTON/Speaker; KOREA (SOUTH)-US RELATIONS/Policy; SECURITY
ARRANGEMENTS/Policy; FOREIGN RELATIONS; KOREA (NORTH)/Defense & Military; INSPECTIONS; ARMS CONTROL VERIFICATION; NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION/Policy; NON-PROLIFE
Document Type: TXT
Thematic Codes: 1UN; 1EA; 1AC; 2FP; 1DE
Target Areas: EA
PDQ Text Link: 316544
USIA Notes: *93120915.EPF
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