Incoming US ambassador calling for more isolation of North Korea

Posted on : 2014-06-19 18:22 KST Modified on : 2014-06-19 18:22 KST
Mark Lippert also vows to take role in encouraging dialogue between Seoul and Tokyo, but not mediating
 nominee to serve as US ambassador to South Korea
nominee to serve as US ambassador to South Korea

By Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

Mark Lippert, the nominee to serve as US ambassador to South Korea, called for continued isolation and sanctions against the North Korean regime in response to the country’s nuclear program on June 17.

Lippert also called for expansion of missile defense by the US and its allies.

His remarks came in response to a question at his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on how he would respond to the North Korean risk. Observers are taking them as a sign that Lippert holds a relativity hard-line position on North Korea, and that more pressure on South Korea to expand its missile defense is coming.

At the hearing, Lippert listed three approaches to responding to the North Korean threat.

“The first is continue to build international consensus to isolate North Korea and its regime,” he said, adding, “perhaps one of the best examples would be to isolate them on human rights issue.”

He also advocated continued military exercises and multilateral and independent sanctions and pressure “to send a strong signal that the U.S. is watching [North Korea’s] behavior.”

Finally, he stressed the need for “strong defense and deterrence.”

As examples, he advised “stay[ing] one step ahead of the North Korean threat” with stronger missile defense by increasing the number of ground-based interceptors in Alaska, installing a second TP2 surveillance radar and adding two ballistic missile defense cruisers by 2017 in Japan, and moving the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to Guam.

Lippert also echoed the current US line on tensions between Seoul and Tokyo, saying Washington “wouldn’t play a mediation role” but adding that the State Department “obviously would have conversations to encourage better dialogue between the Japanese and South Koreans to work through some of these very difficult and painful historical issues.”

“We can play an important role in encouraging that dialogue back and forth,” he said.

Lippert also said implementation of the South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement would be a priority.

“There are some uneven implementation issues - autos, origin,” he noted.

“I do think that the autos issue remains outstanding,” he continued, noting that despite some progress, including an 80% increase in US car exports to South Korea, he felt some issues still needed to be addressed with the US Trade Representative on an ongoing basis.

 

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