Category: TKS News

Dr. Stephen Noerper leads at 1:14 on Pompeo Visit and Summitry

Korea Society President Thomas Byrne speaks to Bloomberg Daybreak Asia about the economic relationship between the US and Korea, describing the conditions leading up to the agreement in principle on revisions to the bilateral free trade deal known as KORUS. “The closing sentence [of the joint statement] was that the important progress has made based on the strong and enduring security relationship. My own take is that the security relationship has a very stable center of gravity, and the relationship won’t capsize. However, there could be these cross-currents as President Trump reacts to contingencies.

Asked about Kim Jong Un’s motivation for conducting a flurry of bilateral summits, Korea Society President Thomas Byrne tells Asahi TV that Kim is looking for weak links and ways to soften the implementation of sanctions. Kim recently conducted his first trip abroad as leader, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in advance of upcoming summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Korea Society’s Stephen Noerper spoke to Finnish National television on the Stockholm and Helsinki talks on Korea.

Korea-asiantuntija MTV:lle: Suomi vahvoilla Trumpin ja Kim Jong-unin huippukokouspaikaksi – “Helsinki on historiallisesti hyvä vaihtoehto” – Ulkomaat – Uutiset – MTV.fi

Stephen Noerper, Korea Society senior director, discusses President Donald Trump’s acceptance of an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He speaks with Bloomberg’s Julia Chatterley and Julie Hyman on “What’d You Miss?” (Source: Bloomberg)

Speaking on the phone from Seoul, Korea Society President Thomas Byrne told the South China Morning Post, “What we’re seeing here is that the alliance is working. Both the US and the ROK [South Korea] are on the same page. There’s unison in ends. There may be flexibility in ways to meet that end but the end remains unchanged: The denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the use of maximum pressure. The joint military drills between South Korea and the US will go on and that’s been assured from the highest levels here.

Korea Society Board Chairman Ambassador Thomas Hubbard: “We’re at least starting under the right circumstances with the North Koreans saying we can aim at denuclearization. The North Koreans accepting that we are going to continue our military exercises. I’ve spent a lot of time in negotiations with the North Koreans. They are always tough. It’s always complicated. But I think it’s time to start… I’m pleased that President Trump has accepted the challenge. We’ll have to test whether the North Koreans are willing to give up their nuclear weapons. So far our efforts to achieve that objective have been less than fully successful. But I like the idea of moving quickly and starting at a high level.

Korea Society President Thomas Byrne tells BBC World Business Report, “There’s no sign that either the US or South Korea is backing down from maximum pressure and sanctions will also be ratcheted up. The element of surprise and unpredictability is characteristic about how North Korea negotiates. But the basic position of South Korea and the US hasn’t changed: denuclearization, maximum pressure, and close coordination in the alliance.