October 30 - November 12, 2014
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region. U.S.-ROK RELATIONS New U.S. Ambassador to the ROK Arrives Newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the ROK Mark Lippert arrived in Seoul on October 30, where he held a press conference at Incheon Airport. On October 31, he met with ROK foreign minister Yun Byung-se at the Foreign Ministry. Lippert met with the ROK Unifica- tion Ministry’s minister Ryoo Kihl-jae for the first time in his ambas- sadorial capacity on November 10 for a closed door meeting.
REGIONAL RELATIONS ROK and China Nuclear Envoys Meet in Beijing Hwang Joon-kook, the special representative for Korean peninsula Presidents Park and Obama Meet at APEC Summit peace and security affairs for the ROK met with his Chinese counter- From November 10 to 11, President Park par cipated at part, the special representative for Korean peninsula affairs Wu the APEC summit in Beijing. On November 11, President Dawei on October 31 to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons pro- Park and President Obama met on the sidelines of the gram and the Six-Party Talks in Beijing. Hwang was in China for a APEC summit and pledged to strengthen bilateral efforts three-day visit to the northeastern provinces that began October 30. to press relevant countries for the denucleariza on of North Korea. Despite the recent release of the two U.S. TRADE AND ECONOMICS detainees in North Korea, Obama stated that North Ko- South Korea’s October Trade Surplus Hits Record High rea’s human rights record and nuclear capabili es re- The ROK’s exports expanded to $51.8 billion in October 2014, in- mained a concern. creasing 2.5 percent from $50.5 billion in October 2013 while im- Photo credit: Cheong Wa Dae. ports contracted by 3.0 percent from $45.6 billion to $44.3 billion compared to the previous year. Consequently, the trade surplus for the month reached a record high of $7.6 billion. Korea has posted a trade surplus for 33 consecutive months. The rise in exports can be mainly attributed to the increase in shipments to the United States. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the October 2014 increases in exports was driven ships, up 35.1 per- cent compared to the previous year, and computers, up 15.1 percent compared to the previous year. The decrease in imports was pri- marily driven by a decrease in the price of oil.
ROK-China Conclude Bilateral Free Trade Agreement On November 10, the ROK and China reached a conclusion of their ROK and Netherlands Sign Nuclear CooperaƟon MOU bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Beijing after 14 rounds of On November 3, President Park Geun-hye held a summit negotiations first launched in May 2012. The announcement was with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at made during a summit between President Park Geun-hye of Korea Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. The state visit by the king and President Xi Jinping of China on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific marks the first such visit by a Dutch head of state to Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ meeting. According to the Korea. The countries signed a number of agreements, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the FTA is ex- including a memorandum of understanding to upgrade pected to boost the trade volume between the two countries to $300 an experimental nuclear reactor at Del University of billion by 2015 if implemented in early 2015. ROK deputy trade min- Technology in the Netherlands, known as the OYSTER ister Woo Tae-hee said in a press briefing that he expects “the FTA Project. The signed agreements were a follow up from will also help secure peace and stability in the Northeast Asian re- the March 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. gion.” Photo credit: Cheong Wa Dae. KOREA CHAIR MONITOR | 2
DOMESTIC POLITICS National Assembly Meets on 2015 Budget Bill On November 10, the special committee on budget and accounts held its fourth general meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul. The fourth general meeting examined the budget bill and the fund operation plan for 2015. The ruling Saenuri Party agreed that local government and education offices should fund free-for all welfare programs such as childcare subsidies and lunch programs. The op- position parties, on the contrary, claimed that the central govern- ment must take certain shares of the funding to make up shortfalls. The deadline to forward the 2015 budget bill at a plenary session for final voting is December 2. DPRK’s Kim Yong Nam Led DelegaƟon to Uganda NORTH KOREA Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's North Korea Releases Kenneth Bae and Matthew “Todd” Miller Assembly of North Korea Kim Yong-Nam led a delega- Kenneth Bae and Matthew “Todd” Miller, the last two American on to Kampala, Uganda from October 30 to November detainees held by North Korea, were released on November 8 fol- 1. He met with Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Muse- lowing negotiations by U.S. director of intelligence James R. Clap- veni and Ugandan prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda, per. The U.S. State Department also thanked the Swedish govern- among other officials (pictured above). The two delega- ment for their assistance in lobbying for the return of the Ameri- ons held inter-sector talks on boos ng bilateral coop- can detainees. A statement by the Office of the Director of National era on. Before visi ng Uganda, Kim Yong-Nam was in Intelligence reported that the U.S. government facilitated Bae and the Republic of Congo. Miller’s return. Photo credit: KCNA, used under fair use guidelines.
Officials for North Korean Human Rights Issues Arrive in Seoul For his three-day visit, Ambassador Robert King, special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, arrived on November 11 for regular consultations on human rights and humanitarian issues. Ambassador King will meet with senior ROK government officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, and Cheong Wa Dae. His visit furthers the United States’ efforts for the denuclearization of North Korea and for the improvement of the human rights situation. U.N. special rapporteur, Marzuki Darus- man, is also in Seoul from November 10 to 14 to gather information for a report that will be submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Coun- cil and the U.N. General Assembly.
Looking Ahead Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead. November 12-13 | President Park Geun-hye will attend the 25th ASEAN +3 and East Asia Summit (EAS) in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
November 15-16 | President Park will attend the upcoming G-20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane, Australia.
December | ROK minister of trade, industry and energy Yoon Sang-jick will visit the United States to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
KOREA CHAIR MONITOR CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors: Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair Marie DuMond, Research Associate Andy Lim, Senior Research Intern Sohee Park, Research Intern Di-Hoa Le, Research Intern Doria Kim, Research Intern
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