Ambassador-Designate
Statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Alexander Vershbow
Nominee for U.S.
Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
September 22, 2005
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Alexander Vershbow |
Madame. Chairman, Members of the Committee:
It is a privilege and an honor to appear before you today as President Bush¡¯s nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. I am most grateful to the President and Secretary of State Rice for this nomination. If confirmed, I welcome the chance to apply my 28 years of Foreign Service experience to the most dynamic and fast-changing region of the world, and to one of our nation¡¯s most critical bilateral relationships. My wife Lisa, who is here today, also looks forward to the opportunity to serve as my partner in representing our country - its culture and its values - in the Republic of Korea.
I believe that the continued active involvement of members of this committee and the Congress as a whole will be a key factor in strengthening America¡¯s ties with the Republic of Korea. If confirmed, I look forward to working closely with you and other members on this important mission.
The Republic of Korea has made impressive strides over the past half century. It has developed into a vibrant democracy, been a firm friend to the United States, and become a major player in the global economy. Our partnership with Korea runs wide and deep, encompassing close relations in the political, trade, investment and cultural fields, together with strategic cooperation in many places around the world.
Since the 1950s, the centerpiece of our U.S.-Korea partnership has been our bilateral defense alliance. Over the past two years, we have worked with our Korean allies to modernize our security relationship, including plans to reposition and reshape U.S. forces in Korea. There is, nonetheless, one certain constant: The alliance will continue to ensure the defense of the Republic of Korea and play a central role in the stability of Northeast Asia. If confirmed, I believe that my experience, particularly as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in the late 1990s, will be useful in working with the Korean Government and with U.S. Forces Korea to further strengthen our alliance and adapt it to the realities of the 21st century.
One measure of the continuing vitality of our alliance was the Korean Government¡¯s decision to dispatch military personnel to aid in the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq. Korea¡¯s contingent of 3,200 ranks third after ours and the United Kingdom¡¯s. Seoul has also pledged $260 million over five years to Iraq¡¯s reconstruction. We are proud that the Republic of Korea is one of the most important members of the coalition.
We also celebrate the fact that Korea¡¯s democratic political institutions have established strong and vibrant roots, serving as an inspiration to others in Asia and the rest of the world. Korea¡¯s democracy complements its economic strength, one of the most remarkable success stories of the last forty years. Korea is now the world¡¯s 11th-largest economy and our seventh-largest trading partner. In recent years, U.S. firms have increasingly invested in Korea¡¯s economy, especially in the fields of financial services, banking, computers and electronics. If confirmed, I plan to work closely with American companies to help expand their access to the Korean market and to overcome remaining barriers to trade and investment, including the resumption of American beef imports.
Let me now turn to the challenge posed by North Korea¡¯s nuclear ambitions. In the Six Party Talks, we and the Republic of Korea have conveyed a common message to North Korea: that our objective is the complete, verifiable and permanent dismantlement of all its nuclear programs. Supported as well by Japan, China and Russia, we have made clear that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is the key to long-term stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia, and to addressing North Korea¡¯s acute economic needs. The agreement reached in Beijing this week is a vital step toward the early achievement of these goals. However, as the President has emphasized, the key question is verification of the North Koreans¡¯ implementation of their commitments. If confirmed, I will make it a top priority to work with our ROK allies to help devise an effective verification regime so that the promise of this week¡¯s agreement can be fulfilled.
Looking beyond the Six Party Talks, it is also necessary to address the problem of North Korea¡¯s denial of basic human rights to its own people. Assistant Secretary Hill made this clear in his statement at the closing plenary session in Beijing on Monday. I look forward to working with our South Korean partners on ways to ease the suffering of the North Korean people and to promote reform in the DPRK, even as we provide humanitarian food assistance targeted to those most in need. The new U.S. Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea will be a key player in the Administration¡¯s efforts on this important issue, and I look forward to working with him as well.
While security and trade issues occupy center stage in our relationship with Korea, our people-to-people ties are also deep and wide. Thousands of Americans have served in Korea, and the Korean-American community, now numbering over 1.5 million, has contributed greatly to our country in many fields. In addition, many Koreans have received advanced education and training in the United States. Most recently, following Hurricane Katrina, the Korean Government was quick to offer not only sympathy but also a contribution of $30 million for relief and reconstruction. The first delivery on this very welcome commitment, 34 tons of relief supplies, arrived on a chartered Korean airliner one week ago.
Let me conclude by summing up my main priorities, if I am confirmed as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea:
- to strengthen the security alliance between our two countries and adapt it to changing circumstances, in Northeast Asia and beyond;
- to build upon our global partnership with the ROK, tackling key international challenges such as terrorism, energy security and global health concerns;
- to promote broader economic and trade relations, and to increase opportunities for U.S. companies in Korea, including the resumption of American beef imports;
- to work with our Korean partners to secure effective implementation of the agreement in the Six Party Talks on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, and to promote reform and respect for human rights in North Korea;
- to use all means, including the Internet, to increase understanding of the United States and its policies among younger Koreans, emphasizing our security and economic ties as well as our shared values; and
- to work with the Korean Government to fully implement the recent agreement in principle to build a new Embassy in Seoul to represent the United States and better serve our citizens.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.