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The United States and South Korea are actively communicating through various channels regarding the negotiations on defense contributions, a senior State Department official said. He also stressed that the alliance between the United States and South Korea is strong and no one wants to damage it. Reporter Park Hyung-joo reports.
On December 8, Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs Clark Cooper said: “Communication between the two countries has not been interrupted and healthy speech continues.”
When asked if the defense exchange negotiations between the United States and the Republic of Korea were an agreement or a standstill, Cooper said in a video conference today that the communication was taking place on several lines between the two sides.
[쿠퍼 차관보] “The lines of communication between President Trump, President Moon, Secretary Pompeo, Foreign Minister Kang and, of course, my colleague, the department’s chief negotiator, Jim DeHart here in the Prime Minister’s office and his counterpart Jeong, all those lines of communication stay open and active. “There is open and active communication between all lines, including President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Minister Kang Kyung-hwa, who are negotiating the defense of James D. Hart and the South Korean representative Chung Eun-bo.
Cooper also emphasized that “the alliance between the United States and South Korea remains strong.”
[쿠퍼 차관보] “I will start with that there is no loss of sense of urgency and also that there is no one, no party, whether in Washington or Seoul, who wants to see an erosion of the alliance.” And so, people must remember that, if viewed from a fundamental point of view, the alliance is strong. It stays strong. And as I mentioned looking regionally, South Korea has been one of the bright stars in the Indo-Pacific constellation in the COVID response, and we’ve been working with them on that. ““There is no urgency,” Cooper said, “no one wants to see any harm to the alliance, whether in Washington or Seoul.”
He also emphasized that from the fundamental point of view, it is necessary to remember that the alliance is still strong.
“Korea is one of the brightest stars in the Indo-Pacific region when it comes to the coronavirus response, and we are working with Korea in this regard,” Cooper said.
Cooper’s comments came in response to additional questions about the urgency of the deal and the impact of Korean workers’ unpaid leave at the USFK, which began last month, on readiness.
Regarding the impact of unpaid leave on Korean workers on readiness, Cooper said the workforce would not have gone to work, even if it wasn’t for unpaid leave, such as reduced travel orders and the physical deployment of troops.
However, Mr. Cooper added that unpaid leave is not a long-term expectation.
“We are looking for a space for Korea and the United States to finalize a special agreement on defense contributions,” Cooper said. “Communication has never stopped.”
[쿠퍼 차관보] “That said, it is not a long-term proposal, but we are certainly looking for a conducive space for Korea and the United States to move closer to the Special Measures Agreement.” And as I said, communications have never stopped. ”“There are other factors and conditions that need to be addressed nationally in Seoul, and we know that for sure,” Cooper said. “After all, no one wants to compromise the alliance, including President Trump and President Moon Jae-in.”
[쿠퍼 차관보] “What it has in place are different factors and different conditions that need to be addressed at the national level in Seoul, and we certainly are aware of that. But also, at the end of the day, nobody, President Moon, President Trump, nobody wants to see the alliance erode. “This is Hyung-Joo Park from VOA News.
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