U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea “Trilateral Council to Discuss Expansion Deterrence in Washington”

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• on May 24, 2023

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Philip Goldberg said on Feb. 22 that he is “confident that the leaders will discuss these issues when they meet in Washington in the very near future” regarding the creation of a new trilateral extended deterrence (nuclear umbrella) council.

Asked in an interview with Donga Ilbo at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, whether the new U.S.-Japan security council would include Japan in the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) or be a new council separate from the NCG, Goldberg said, “It could be either. It’s a matter for the (U.S.-Japan) leaders to decide,” he said. “We’re not ruling anything out (regarding an expanded council),” Goldberg said, adding, “We’ll see what happens.”

He emphasized that the trilateral summit in Washington, proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden to the leaders of South Korea and Japan on Nov. 21, is an “upgrade (of U.S.-Japan cooperation).” “Strengthening trilateral cooperation is necessary not only for the security of the Korean Peninsula, but also for the entire Indo-Pacific region,” he said. “The meeting of the three leaders in Washington will also play a positive role in strengthening real-time missile warning information sharing.”

The presidential office is considering holding a trilateral summit in Washington as early as July. “It is difficult for the three leaders to meet in Washington on the sidelines of multilateral meetings such as the UN General Assembly,” said Kim Tae-hyo, deputy director of the National Security Office, suggesting that a separate schedule for the three countries could be adopted.

Asked if South Korea should join the China-targeted “Platform for Countering Economic Coercion” created at the Group of Seven (G7) summit that concluded today, Goldberg said, “It’s not for me to decide, it’s for South Korea to decide,” but added, “But South Korea is a democracy, a country with a rules-based order and rules. If China disregards rules-based decisions and the international order, we cannot turn a blind eye to such behavior.” He also raised the need for South Korea to get on board.

Regarding South Korea’s own nuclear program, Ambassador Goldberg said, “I understand the concern because Seoul is only a few miles from a rogue state (North Korea),” but added, “If South Korea is going to make the decision to acquire nuclear weapons, it should first withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and we (the United States) support the NPT.” He also said, “If South Korea goes nuclear, it could lead to other countries saying, ‘If they can do it, we can do it, too. He expressed his opposition to a South Korean nuclear arsenal, citing concerns about the potential for a “nuclear domino effect in the region.

“We will stand with South Korea against economic coercion such as China’s THAAD retaliation”

The world is concerned about China’s economic coercion
As a democratic country, South Korea must end China’s coercion
Biden’s Washington summit proposal… an ‘upgrade’ of trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan

U.S. Ambassador to China Philip Goldberg speaks to Donga Ilbo at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 22. “The lesson we learned from China’s THAAD retaliation is that such retaliatory measures will continue if the U.S. and South Korea do not cooperate,” he said, adding, “We cannot stand by and watch as the U.S. and South Korea make sovereign decisions that pose a threat to our security.” By Eunseok Song silverstone@donga.com
“If economic coercion such as China’s THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) retaliation happens again, we will resist it. We cannot allow South Korea’s sovereign decisions to become a security threat.”

Asked if the United States would help South Korea in the event of Chinese retaliation against the THAAD system, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg (67) said, “If that happens, we will work with the South Korean government,” in a one-hour, 20-minute interview with The Korea Times at the U.S. Embassy in Jeongdong, Seoul, on Feb. 22. The U.S. ambassador emphasized that the U.S. will defend South Korea and respond jointly with the South Korean government if China once again targets South Korea for economic retaliation.

Asked if he thought South Korea should join the Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion, which the Group of Seven (G7) leaders decided to create on Tuesday to target China, Goldberg said, “It’s up to South Korea to decide whether to participate, but as a democracy, it’s necessary for South Korea to end China’s economic coercion,” suggesting the need for participation스포츠토토.

He praised the Washington Declaration, a plan to strengthen the U.S. extended deterrent (nuclear umbrella) that came out of the U.S.-South Korea summit on March 26, as an “update and upgrade” to the U.S.-South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. “We will not respect or support such a decision,” he said, referring to the persistence of nuclear armament in South Korea. The interview was conducted with Yoon Wan-jun, Political Director of Bonpo. The following is a transcript.

◇ROK-US-Japan security cooperation and the trilateral summit
-What does US President Joe Biden’s proposal for a trilateral summit in Washington mean?
“It can be seen as an upgrade of trilateral cooperation. President Biden is very interested in strengthening trilateral cooperation and appreciates the process of trilateral cooperation initiated by President Yun. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida responded by visiting South Korea and Japan respectively, leading to the Hiroshima meeting. Strengthening trilateral cooperation is necessary to enhance security not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the entire Indo-Pacific region. It would be very important for the three leaders to meet in Washington, DC.”

-Trump on the specifics of the “new level” of cooperation.
“It will further strengthen our ability to deter North Korea’s illegal and irresponsible behavior. President Yun and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida have done a good job of creating the political environment for this, especially in the security arena. An example is our cooperation on real-time sharing of North Korean missile warning information. The meeting of the U.S., South Korean, and Japanese leaders in Washington will further strengthen this cooperation.”

-On the Washington Declaration and possible Japanese participation in the U.S.-ROK Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).
“The Washington Declaration is a joint statement issued between the governments of the three countries. Regardless of what happens between the three countries and how trilateral cooperation evolves, the Washington Declaration is a bilateral statement between the U.S. and Japan.