February 20 – March 5, 2014
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region.
U.S.-ROK RELATIONS U.S.-ROK Joint Military Drills Begin The United States and South Korea began their annual Key Resolve/ Foal Eagle joint military drills on February 24. The computer-based command post exercise Key Resolve ends March 6, with the combined field training Foal Eagle exercise involving 7,500 U.S. troops lasting until April 18. On March 3, the USS Columbus nuclear submarine ar- rived in Busan, South Korea to participate in the exercises.
TRADE AND ECONOMICS President Park’s Three-Year Economic Innovation Plan President Park Geun-hye announced a “three-year economic innova- Two Koreas Hold Successful Family Reunions tion plan” on February 25, during the first anniversary of her inaugu- South and North Korea held reunions at Mount Kum- ration. Her plan focused on three major strategies: economy with gang resort in North Korea from February 20-25 for strengthened fundamentals, dynamic innovation economy, and bal- ance of domestic demand and export. This was complemented by families separated by the division of the Korean penin- nine measures, including reforms in the public sector, realization of sula. Organized into two separate three-day rounds creative economy, and upgraded employment rate of women. She for reunions, more than 750 Koreans par cipated in aims to increase GDP per capita to US$40,000, to raise the growth rate total. The average age of par cipants was 84. The to 4 percent by 2017, and to achieve 70 percent employment rate. mee ngs were the first reunions since 2010. Photo credit: Storyvillegirl’s flickr photostream. Lee Ju-yeol Named New Governor of Bank of Korea On March 3, President Park Geun-hye named Lee Ju-yeol, a retired 35- year veteran of the Bank of Korea as the new governor of the bank. He last served as the deputy governor under Kim Choong-soo before retiring in 2012 to teach at Yonsei University. During his career at the bank, he had worked at the research, foreign-exchange, and mone- tary policy divisions. National Assembly confirmation hearings will be held on March 19. Once the hearings are finished, his four-year term will begin on April 1.
South Korea, China, and Japan Hold FTA Talks South Korea, China, and Japan held the fourth round of negotiations for their trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) from March 4-7in Seoul. Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreaks in North They are expected to hold working-level meetings on goods, services, North Korea informed the World Organiza on for Ani- investment, competition and intellectual property rights. The third mal Health on February 19 that foot and mouth dis- round was held in November 2013. ease had broken out at a pig farm in a suburb of
Pyongyang, publically confirming the outbreak in state REGIONAL RELATIONS media on February 21. This outbreak is the first re- Foreign Minister Speaks at UN Human Rights Council ported instance of FMD since April 2011. North Korea South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se addressed the 25th UN requested assistance for FMD from the U.N. Food and Human Rights Council on March 5 in Geneva, the first ROK foreign Agriculture Organiza on on February 23, and South minister to do so since 2006. During his keynote speech, he discussed Korea offered aid to contain FMD on February 24, but Japan and its historical problems, and he called on North Korea to improve its human rights record, referring to the UN Commission of has not yet received a response from the North. Inquiry report released on February 17. Photo Credit: peteaylward’s flickr photo stream. KOREA CHAIR MONITOR | 2
REGIONAL RELATIONS (continued from page 1) ROK National Assembly Delegation Visits China A group of 44 bipartisan National Assembly lawmakers, led by Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party paid a four- day visit to Beijing from February 20–23. This was the largest ever delegation since normalization of relations in 1992. During their trip, the delegation met with Chinese president Xi Jinping, who reiterated the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as the basic stance of China.
Japan and North Korea Red Cross Hold Talks in China Japan and North Korea’s Red Cross held three days of talks in Shenyang, China, from March 3-5, the first since August 2012. President Park Speaks at March First Independence The four-member North Korean delegation was led by the secre- Movement Ceremony tary general of North Korea’s Red Cross, Ri Ho-rim, and the Japa- On March 1, President Park Geun-hye spoke at the com- nese delegation by the director-general of the International De- memora on ceremony to celebrate the 95th anniversary partment of the Japan’s Red Cross, Osamu Tasaka. They held of the March First Independence Movement, which was “productive” talks on the possible repatriation of Japanese na- held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. tionals buried in North Korea. Photo Credit: Blue House
NORTH KOREA North Korea Ramps up Provocations North Korea launched four short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on February 27 and fired an additional two missiles on March 3. The Scud-variant missiles were all fired into the sea and are widely seen as a reaction to U.S.-ROK joint military exer- cises. The United States stressed that the launches are in viola- tion of UN Security Council resolutions 1718, 1874, and 2094. South Korea has regarded the launches as a provocation, and the Ministry of National Defense has taken measures to increase sur- veillance. North Korean Ship Crosses the Northern LimitaƟon Line Missionaries Remain Detained in North Korea A North Korean patrol ship crossed into South Korean South Korea announced on February 27 that one of its Christian waters late February 24. This crossing is the first record- missionaries, Kim Jong-uk, has been held in North Korea for the ed border viola on by the North in 2014. North Korea past four months, following a news conference in Pyongyang does not recognize the Northern Limita on Line (LNN), a revealing the individual’s identity. In a related matter, North conten ous mari me boundary dividing the waters west Korea released on March 4 Australian missionary John Short of the Korean peninsula. The South Korean military who had been detained the month prior. American missionary broadcast warnings 10 mes without response. The ship Kenneth Bae remains detained in North Korea. At 16 months, returned to North Korean waters a er approximately Bae is the longest-held U.S. prisoner in North Korea since the four hours. The NLL is labeled A in the map above. Korean War. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Looking Ahead Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead. March 6 | Annual U.S.-ROK Key Resolve joint military command post exercise conclude.
March 17 | The UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will pre sent its findings to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
April 18 | U.S.-ROK combined field training Foal Eagle exercises conclude.
Late April| U.S. president Barack Obama will visit South Korea during his four-nation Asia trip. KOREA CHAIR MONITOR CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors: Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair Marie DuMond, Research Associate Sang Jun Lee, Research Assistant Andy Lim, Senior Research Intern Eunchong Jeon, Research Intern Hannah Suh, Research Intern Sanford Hesler, Research Intern Wonseok Lee, Research Intern
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KoreaChair Monitor is a biweekly publica on of the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair, available online. CSIS is a private, nonprofit ins tu on headquartered in Washington, D.C., focusing on inter- na onal public policy issues. Its research is nonpar san and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy posi ons; accordingly, all views expressed in this publica on should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
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