Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper speaks at bilateral meeting with Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon in Seoul, South Korea, November 15, 2019.
Transcript
[Translator] Let us start with the joint press conference between Mr. Jeong from Korea and Secretary Esper, United States of America. Mr. Jeong will speak first. Once the presentations are over, we will field two questions from the lot of media reporters.
Good morning. I want to thank Secretary Esper for joining me here today. The Republic of Korea and the United States held our annual security consultative meeting this past Friday where we engaged in comprehensive and productive discussions on our shared security interests. The ROK-US alliance remains iron clad and our combined military forces stand ready to fight tonight. We are fully committed to working together to maintain security and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the broad end of the pacific region. We also remain resolute in achieving the goal of the complete militarization of North Korea. The path for such an outcome is a diplomatic one. As such, the ROK and US militaries are committed to supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring lasting peace to the Korean peninsula. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, over to you.
Thank you, Mr. Jeong. I agree. The US-ROK alliance remains iron clad and our combined military forces stand ready to fight tonight. Together, we remain committed to supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring lasting peace to the Korean peninsula. After close consultation and careful consideration, Minister Jeong and I have jointly decided to postpone this month’s combined flying training event. We have made this decision as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace. We encourage the DPRK to demonstrate the same goodwill as it considers decisions on conducting training, exercises, and testing. We also urge the DPRK to return to the negotiating table without precondition or hesitation. While the United States and the Republic of Korea will postpone the CFTE, we will continue to ensure our combined forces on the Korean peninsula remain at high state of readiness. Our willingness to modify training to keep the door open to an agreement on the demilitarization of the DRPK should not be mistaken for a lack of commitment to advance and defend our shared goals, interest, and values. Thank you.
[Translator] We will now field questions, we will start with reporters from the Republic of Korea, then we’ll go on to reporters from the United States, and then we’ll go back and forth afterwards.
This is Ken Sun Jeng from Mucis, I have a question for the Minister of National Defense, Mr. Jeong. You talked about postponement. I was wondering when that decision was made and who that was made by and whose request it was to have that postponement happen. And furthermore, I’d like to ask about the meaning of this postponement, if you’d expand a little bit further. And when you say postponement, I want to ask until when you’re postponing the training until.
In regards to your question, this is a part of very close collaboration and cooperation that has been going up ‘til now until the present point We can infer that the intelligence, diplomatic, and defense counterparts of Republic of Korea and the United States. So in terms of the timing of the decision being made, I can say that it has been a part of our close collaboration between the ROK-US counterparts with regards to the ongoing tasks and efforts on continued preservation between the Republic of Korea and the US, as we well as between the US and North Korea. And I believe that we, as defense counterparts, have a shared understanding of with regards to our efforts that must be made for our pursuit of demilitarization and establish more permanent peace. So going back on your question and request for when the event will resume again, I will tell you that it will be also part of our ongoing consultation. And we will decide through that close coordination between the two sides.
Thank you. Secretary Esper, a question for you on the same topic. How is this not a concession to North Korea and how you can you say this will not further our world readiness? If you’re not doing the exercise you were scheduled to do with this week?
[Secretary Esper] Go ahead, sorry.
So let me answer this way. The United States and Republic of Korea forces maintain a very, very high state of readiness. Whether it’s the training of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, it’s the fact that we have advanced aircraft, ships, ground combat vehicles. And the readiness of that is superb. And so, while whenever you adjust your training there’s always some impact on readiness, I am confident that we are prepared to fight and, if necessary and required, we will win the fight if called upon. That said, I also know and believe that as we maintain this high state of readiness, it will be incumbent upon General Abrams and General Park to work together collaboratively over the coming weeks and months to make sure that we fill in any gaps when it comes to readiness. But again, I’m confident we maintain such a very high state of readiness that we’re prepared to fight tonight.
[Reporter] The first part of the question was about the concession to—
[Secretary Esper] Well your first part, I don’t see this as a concession—
Go ahead, I’ll let you answer this question first.
Sorry I didn’t let you finish the question. So I don’t see this as a concession. I see this as a good-faith effort by the United States and the Republic of Korea to enable peace, to shape the trade, if you will, to facilitate a political agreement, a deal, if you will, that leads to the demilitarization of the Korean peninsula. And that’s part of what we do. As I said previously, my job is not only to bolster diplomacy, but my job is also to enable and to empower. In this case, I think that creates more space for our diplomats to strike an agreement on the demilitarization of the peninsula. It is very important.
[Translator] Just one correction, before, in the Korean Minister’s comments, he had said that a decision had been made as a result of the government and diplomatic counterparts and it was translated as information, so please make that correction.
Again, this is a question about GSOMIA and during your visit, Mr. Secretary, to the Blue House. You have passed down the message to the President Moon that you will also pass on the message to the Japanese side to make an effort to solve this problem. I was wondering what kind of message you have sent the Japanese side with regards to this point.
[Secretary Esper] I want to say that my message is clear and consistent, as it has been since I first traveled to the region in August. And that is for both sides to work together to overcome their differences because this country is very important to ensure our timely and effective decision making in an era of crisis, in a time of crisis. And so for that matter, I think we need to, again, move forward together as partners and allies, in a trilateral way. And make sure that we address GSOMIA restore. Because the only people that benefit from friction between Seoul and Tokyo are Pyongyang and Beijing.
[Reporter] Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you about the pardoning of the three service members. While I understand that the President has the power and authority to pardon (mumbles) chain of command. I’d like to know how you reached your (mumbles) that the US will punish those convicted of committing crimes against their subordinates.
[Secretary Esper] Well I think—
You want to translate.
So I’d say, first of all, that we have a very effective military justice system. I have great faith in the military justice system. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are trained from day one about the laws on conflict and how to conduct themselves during wartime. And I think that’s proven itself out in decades of war in various situations, that the American soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors will conduct themselves professionally and in accordance with those laws. And if they don’t, then the United States military will take action in accordance with the USMJ to make sure that they are held accountable.
[Secretary Esper] Thank you very much.