hankyoreh

By Seok Jin-hwan, staff reporter

President Park Geun-hye will hold a summit with US President Barack Obama on May 7 at the White House.

Blue House spokesman Yoon Chang-jung explained on Apr. 16 that Park will visit Washington from May 6 to 8 at Obama’s invitation, with the meeting scheduled for the second day of her trip.

“It will be an important occasion for examining our bilateral relationship on the 60th anniversary of the alliance, setting a course for new cooperation, and bringing the comprehensive strategic alliance forward another step,” Yoon said.

White House spokesman James Carney also said in a statement that Park’s visit “underscores the importance of the U.S.-ROK alliance as a linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia Pacific region.”

Major items on the agenda will include coordination on North Korea policy, including a response to the North’s nuclear program, as well as greater collaboration on regional peace and a stronger global partnership.

“It’s important for the two presidents to establish a strong bond through summits,” said a Blue House official.

“Given that they will be spending the next four years with each other, the outcome of these talks will mark the starting point for future bilateral relations and issues having to do with Northeast Asia and North Korea.”

During her meeting with Obama, Park plans to explain her conception of a “trust-building process” between South and North and discuss ideas for working together on all areas of North Korea policy, including deterrence and the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Another issue slated for the talks is the amendment of the two countries’ atomic energy agreement, which restricts South Korea from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. But it remains in question whether any clear results will emerge in this area. The US, which has similar agreements with other strategic allies such as Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, is currently maintaining that it cannot make changes only to its agreement with South Korea.

Working-level officials from both sides are reportedly planning to discuss a number of major issues before the summit, including the 2015 transfer of wartime operational command to South Korea and how the two countries’ will divide the costs of the USFK.

In addition to the summit, Park also plans to attend a dinner to commemorate the alliance’s 60th anniversary, a round table luncheon organized by the US Chamber of Commerce, and a talk with overseas Koreans while in Washington. She also plans to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon while in New York on May 5 and 6, and to stop in Los Angeles on May 8 and 9 for a dinner with overseas Koreans and other events before heading back to Seoul on May 10.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]