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Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa answers a reporter’s question at a press conference central government complex in Seoul on the morning of Apr. 4.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that “North Korea’s complete denuclearization is the shared goal of the international community” and that the meaning of the “gradual and simultaneous” denuclearization mentioned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be determined “through dialogue with North Korea.”

“I think that we will get a better idea of what North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization means through talks with the North and during the course of preparations,” Kang said during a press conference for domestic and international reporters at the central government complex in Seoul on the morning of Apr. 4.

“We are making preparations so that North Korea’s denuclearization can be an important agenda item not only at the inter-Korean summit but also at the North Korea-US summit,” Kang added.

“We are in agreement that we should be a little flexible in setting the agenda so that the two leaders can have candid and wide-ranging dialogue at this historic summit, said Kang, who is a member of the inter-Korean summit preparatory committee, when asked about the agenda of the talks. Kang explained that this opinion had been shared in the high-level inter-Korean talks on Mar. 29.

“Generally speaking, the big topics will be denuclearization, inter-Korean relations and establishing a peace treaty. But as for the specific points of the agenda, it was agreed that it would be better to prepare for candid dialogue that would be less tied to an agenda, and that’s how we are preparing,” Kang explained.

“There was an adequate exchange of opinions about the agenda of the summit. North Korea’s opinion was not much different from ours,” Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told reporters after completing high-level inter-Korean talks on Mar. 29.

In regard to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono’s visit to South Korea, which will reportedly be taking place next week, Kang said that “the specific schedule is being coordinated” and she expects “it will be announced soon.” As for the agenda of the upcoming meeting between South Korea and Japan’s foreign ministers, Kang predicted that a number of items could be discussed in line with the two-track approach of treating the comfort women issue and other historical disputes separately from North Korea’s nuclear program and economic cooperation.

While Kang reconfirmed the government’s stance of not scrapping its 2015 agreement with Japan about the comfort women or asking for the agreement to be renegotiated, she mentioned that the government would welcome any sincere actions that Japan might take voluntarily.

“Close coordination continues on the future of the [Reconciliation and Healing] Foundation and on the question of covering the 1 billion yen (US$9.4 million) [that the Japanese government donated as part of the Dec. 28 agreement]. We are gathering feedback from the comfort women and related organizations as we look for a way forward,” Kang said.

Kang also responded to a question about the government’s position on an announcement in the North Korean media that Pyongyang would not engage in talks with Seoul if the North Korean human rights issue was brought up. “The government has a firm basic stance on the North Korean human rights issue. That stance is working with the international community as we seek to improve the poor human rights situation in North Korea,” she said.

“In inter-Korean dialogue, as in every dialogue, there is a counterpart. If you want to make progress in the talks, you talk about the agenda to which both sides have agreed. So I think that some more preparation will be needed in the administration in regard to whether we’re going to include the human rights issue in inter-Korean dialogue right now.”

Kang also addressed concerns about the unreasonable request that the US made for South Korea to cover a larger share of the defense burden during negotiations last month in Honolulu about the 10th cost-sharing agreement. “In regard to sharing the cost of defense, South Korea sets a great example of an American ally. We will continue to approach these negotiations with the goal of arriving at a reasonable outcome that is acceptable to the people and the National Assembly and of increasing the transparency of the negotiations. That’s in line with this administration’s emphasis on transparency to the public, which is a lesson learned from the previous round of negotiations,” she said.

Kang also brought up three South Koreans who were kidnapped off the coast of Ghana on Mar. 26: “We have been making a diplomatic effort to determine their location and to secure their safe return. Moving forward, we will continue to do everything we can for their safe return.”

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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