Remarks by The Ambassador Thomas
C. Hubbard
Following the ROK-U.S. Policy Forum
Luncheon
Seoul
Plaza Hotel
March 21, 2003
Ladies and Gentlemen;
There are so many distinguished guests in attendance this afternoon, including veteran diplomats, government officials, and scholars from both our countries, that I hesitate to begin naming them all; it would take much of the time allotted for my speech. Instead let me greet you all at once, and offer my thanks to the Dong-A Ilbo and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library Institute and Asian Affairs Center at the University of Missouri for sponsoring this important forum, and for inviting me to address it.
I have been asked to speak on contemporary issues in our alliance, and I intend to do so, but I would like to take a few moments to recall the man who is the namesake of the University of Missouri's Asian Affairs Center.
Harry Truman was a remarkable man in many ways. He worked in a number of different jobs -- timekeeper, bookkeeper, clerk, and farmer -- and did not attend law school until he was almost forty. He never expected to be President, and was thrust into the job suddenly on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
A plainspoken, humble, yet decisive man, Truman earned the respect and admiration of many who had originally dismissed or underestimated him, including Winston Churchill. Truman led the Allies to final victory in the Second World War, stood up to Communist expansion in Greece and Turkey, and implemented the Marshall Plan to help war-torn Europe recover. He won a surprising election victory over a favored opponent in 1948. Most importantly for Korea, Truman immediately decided that the North Korean invasion of the South would be met forcefully and decisively. His determination to defend the Republic of Korea never wavered, and we meet here today in the capital city of a successful democracy thanks largely to the stand that he took.
The past is prologue. What, then, of the contemporary issues in our alliance? There are several I would like to cover. They include Korea's economy, the North Korean threat both to South Korea's prosperity and to regional stability, and security and commercial ties between our two countries.
The Republic of Korea has transformed itself, in a few decades, from a largely agricultural society to a thriving democracy with a modern economy and a high standard of living. This is due largely to the efforts of the Korean people themselves, a people renowned throughout the world for their dynamism, dedication, and determination. Korea's greatest asset is its people.
It is the Korean people's willingness to accept and embrace change, and their spirit of innovation, that have allowed the Korean economy to diversify from low-cost goods to heavy industrial products, and further into a wide range of sophisticated items related to information technology.
There is no greater contrast to the wealth, bustle and dynamism of the Republic of Korea than the tragic situation prevailing in North Korea. There is a famous satellite photograph of the Korean Peninsula at night. In this photograph, much of the southern half of the peninsula is ablaze with light. The northern half lies shrouded in darkness, except for a weak flicker of light emanating from Pyongyang. Objectively, this photograph shows the great disparity in available electricity between the Republic of Korea and North Korea. But it is also symbolic of something even more important-the isolation of the people in North Korea. The Republic of Korea is a leader of the "information society." Its citizens enjoy free access to all sorts of information and many different points of view, via radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. North Korea is its opposite; it is the "no information" society. Just as most North Koreans' bodies are starving for want of nutritious food, their minds are starved for truthful, varied, and objective information. The people are taught an irrational hatred and fear of the United States, and an equally irrational adulation of their leadership, and they have been taught these for decades in complete isolation from the rest of the world. The long-suffering people of North Korea live in a state with sadly misguided priorities.
One of the most serious of these priorities is the North Korean leadership's obsession with defending itself against a perceived but illusory threat from the United States. North Korea seeks to develop both nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to distant lands. These actions represent a direct threat to the prosperity, security, and stability of South Korea. They also threaten both regional and global peace and stability, and they defy the international system of non-proliferation designed to limit the spread of these deadly weapons.
This is a global challenge, and must be addressed by a combination of concerned states. This is why the United States continues to emphasize the need for a multilateral approach to resolving this issue. Our long-time friend and ally, the Republic of Korea, agrees with us that a multilateral approach is the appropriate way to meet this challenge. The presidents of our two countries reaffirmed this during an extremely positive and cordial telephone conversation just a week ago. They also agreed that this issue must be resolved peacefully, through dialogue and diplomacy. This conversation reinforced the message Secretary of State Powell, conveyed when he attended President Roh's inauguration that we agree on the seriousness of the issue, and that we are determined to resolve it peacefully.
We continue to consult with the Republic of Korea, and also Japan, Russia, and China, who all agree that the presence of nuclear weapons anywhere on the Peninsula is unacceptable. We remain ready to meet with representatives of North Korea in a multilateral setting to discuss the steps the DPRK can take to meet the obligations it has undertaken, and has, regrettably, more recently abandoned.
I want to emphasize again that North Korea's actions represent a clear and dangerous threat, not only because of the DPRK's own development of weapons of mass destruction, but also because of the possibility that it could sell or give such weapons to terrorist enemies of the international community. Our experience of 9/11/2001 has only heightened our concerns about proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
We remain determined to solve the issue of North Korea's nuclear programs
peacefully. Recent events such as the restarting of the nuclear reactor at
Yongbyon and the dangerous and provocative interception of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace remind us that this problem must be
addressed and solved. At the same time, we do not intend to allow a sense of urgency
to overwhelm caution, patience, and prudence. We will not be rushed or bullied,
and we will not consider or offer any rewards to North Korea for ceasing
activities it should never have begun in the first place.
President Roh Moo-hyun, in his inaugural address of February 25, clearly and eloquently spelled out the alternatives North Korea faces. It can choose to go down the path of having nuclear weapons, and face further isolation and impoverishment, or it can renounce nuclear weapons and receive assistance from both the Republic of Korea and other members of the international community. The greatest tragedy for the people of North Korea is that nuclear weapons are the last thing the DPRK needs. They will not make the DPRK safer or more secure in any way. Quite the contrary: the North's pursuit of these most dangerous weapons can only undermine North Korea's security, and, indeed that of all Koreans.
For the last fifty years, each generation of Koreans living in the South has achieved greater prosperity than their parents could have ever dreamed of. The "386" generation and other young South Koreans have every right to expect the same. However, these aspirations are jeopardized by the reckless actions of the North, just as the safety and prosperity of earlier generations were destroyed or undermined by the Korean War and the years of threats and incursions from the North which followed it.
As I mentioned earlier, the Republic of Korea has become a modern, thriving democracy because of the hard work, dedication, and courage of its people. Our long-standing defensive alliance, now in its 50th year, has facilitated this development. I want to make clear that our commitment to help Korea defend itself remains as firm as ever. I also mentioned that it is the Korean people's openness to change and innovation that helped it become a leading producer and exporter of high technology products. This willingness to accept change, and even to welcome and embrace change, is also reflected in other aspects of modern Korean society. It is one of the reasons a relatively young man, tapping the desire for change, was recently elected President. And the changing environment we face today is one factor driving a common effort to ensure that both our security alliance and our overall relationship are modernized to meet the demands of a new era.
As one example of how our relationship is evolving, our two Defense Ministers met last December and agreed to conduct a joint study on the future of our alliance, exploring the challenges and opportunities our two militaries will encounter in this new century. Both our forces are much more modern, versatile, mobile, and technologically advanced than they were ten or twenty years ago, so it makes sense to examine the best and most efficient way to deploy and utilize them. I wish to emphasize that the Korean and United States governments will consult closely with each other before any major changes are made. Our military presence, and our continued determination to defend the Republic of Korea, will continue, and our combined deterrent will remain strong, and is likely to become even stronger.
Our governments have also been working together over the past ten years to reduce the impact our military presence has on Korea. One logical way to do this is to reduce the number of U.S. military bases, by closing some bases and consolidating them with others. Our Land Partnership Plan will ultimately return to the Korean government almost half the land our bases now occupy. We have also been considering alternative locations for the large base we have in Yongsan, a location that once marked the outskirts of Seoul, but is now deep within the urban area.
Our alliance was formed 50 years ago for the primary purpose of defending the Republic of Korea against any further attempts at armed aggression by the DPRK. Deterrence remains our first priority, but in the future, as our alliance continues to develop and diversify, it will also encompass the promotion and maintenance of regional security as a steadily more important factor in our overall partnership. We are grateful for South Korea's support as we begin military action in Iraq.
However, joint security is but one strand in the ties that bind our two countries. As Korea has made the rapid and impressive transformation from an agricultural economy to a modern industrial and post-industrial state, the close and vital economic relationship between the United States and Korea has become ever more important to both our countries. A strong and healthy Korean economy benefits the United States, just as an expanding U.S. economy and an open U.S. market are of crucial importance to Korea.
As Korea's economy has become more complex and sophisticated, and as its firms have gained confidence in the competitiveness of their products, Korea's markets have gradually opened. Both our nations understand and appreciate the benefits of free trade and the importance of open markets and the free flow of goods. Our countries are important trading partners, and we invest in each other's economies.
One of the outstanding achievements of former President Kim Dae-jung was the program of reforms he initiated following the shock of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. These reforms enabled the country to recover within a fairly short period of time. Korea has accomplished much, and yet much still remains to be done. To strengthen and improve its competitiveness in the fast-moving and dynamic global economy, Korea must continue to reform and restructure. President Roh is aware of this, and in fact has emphasized that continued reform will be an essential component of his concept of Korea as the hub of the northeast Asian economy. I am confident that the Korean people's willingness to change with the times will facilitate this process of ongoing reform.
We have important commercial, economic, and security ties. There is also an extensive personal dimension in our ties. This year marks the centennial of Korean immigration into the United States. Koreans have been enriching American arts, culture, cuisine, academia, and a host of other fields for many years now. They are renowned as diligent workers and dedicated students, and they have made numerous contributions to our "nation of immigrants."
I am fundamentally an optimist by nature. My wife and I first traveled in Korea almost 35 years ago, and when I see how quickly and how far Korea has progressed since then, I cannot help but be confident that our two peoples are capable of meeting whatever challenges the future holds. I realize the past year has been difficult in many respects, but I also know that our overall partnership remains strong, even as it continues to evolve and develop in response to changes in the United States, Korea, and the international environment. The evolution and development of our relationship are healthy and positive signs, and they take place within the framework of basic values that we share, values that have made our two countries what they are today, and that form the basis of our alliance.
Thank you.