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South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul with US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Apr. 16. (Yonhap News)

On Apr. 16, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul sat down with US Ambassador to Seoul Harry Harris, the first of a series of meetings scheduled with the ambassadors of China, Japan, and Russia. Kim, who assumed his duties as unification minister on Apr. 8, took advantage of his first round of courtesy meetings with these ambassadors to discuss urgent matters with the four powers that have a dominant influence on Korean Peninsula affairs.

During his meeting with Harris, which took place in the unification minister’s office in the Central Government Complex in Seoul at 3 pm on Tuesday, Kim said that “the South Korea-US summit reconfirmed the strength of the two countries’ alliance.”

“I think that close cooperation between South Korea and the US is also necessary during the process of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue,” Kim said, adding that he hopes to see Harris often so that the two can consult on a number of issues.

Next, Kim expressed his gratitude to Harris for the US military’s assistance with putting out forest fires in Gangwon Province, describing this as “a chance for [Koreans] to experience in their everyday lives the strength of the ROK-US alliance.”

Harris said he believed that Kim was well prepared for the office of unification minister, including his time as director of the Korea Institute for National Unification. “I look forward to working with you,” Harris also said.

During the opening remarks that Kim and Harris delivered to reporters, they didn’t make any mention of critical matters, such as the humanitarian aid projects for North Korea on which the leaders of South Korea and the US reached a vague agreement during their summit in Washington, DC, on Apr. 11.

In a document released after the meeting, the Unification Ministry said that Kim and Harris had “exchanged views about recent affairs on the Korean Peninsula and about methods of cooperation between South Korea and the US.”

“They reconfirmed that the South Korea-US alliance is on a firm footing, a matter that was also confirmed during the two countries’ recent summit, and they agreed on the need for close cooperation between the two sides during the process of promoting denuclearization. Kim explained his position that a fourth inter-Korean summit could be used to create a positive opportunity for North Korea-US negotiations, while Harris voiced his understanding and support for this,” the Unification Ministry said.

“Both sides agreed to communicate and cooperate closely in the future as well,” the ministry said.

On the afternoon of Apr. 17, Kim will be holding back-to-back meetings with Chinese Ambassador Qiu Guohong and Japanese Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine. He also plans to meet with the Russian ambassador, pending confirmation of the schedule, the Unification Ministry said.

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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