China News Service, Seoul, May 23. Title: South Korea-US Leaders’ Meeting: Outcomes "Exceeded Expectations", Effects "To Be Seen"
China News Agency reporter Liu Xu
On the 23rd (the afternoon of the 22nd, local time in the United States), South Korean President Moon Jae-in ended his official visit to the United States and left for South Korea.
During the visit, Moon Jae-in held talks with U.S. President Biden at the White House on the 21st local time and issued the "Joint Statement by South Korean-U.S. Leaders."
South Korean public opinion analysis pointed out that the meeting comprehensively involved issues of common concern such as vaccine cooperation, the situation on the peninsula, and the relationship between South Korea and the United States. The results exceeded expectations. However, the two sides have not made substantial progress on the peninsula issue, and its actual effects remain to be seen.
Data map: South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Peng Dawei
The outcome of the talks "exceeds expectations" Vaccine cooperation welcomes
As the first offline meeting between Moon Jae-in and Biden, the two met for an hour longer than the scheduled time, which lasted 171 minutes.
Moon Jae-in posted on social media that this is the first visit since the outbreak and the first face-to-face meeting with masks off. It is pleasant and the outcome of the Korea-US summit "exceeds expectations."
Yonhap News Agency reported that in the joint statement, the leaders of South Korea and the United States reached consensus on the alliance relationship between the two countries, climate cooperation, new technology cooperation, vaccine cooperation, education cooperation and many other issues.
South Korea’s "Joongang Ilbo" defined the meeting as a "win-win" in a commentary published on the 22nd, indicating that the diplomacy of the Korea-US alliance is back on track.
In terms of vaccine cooperation, which is of great concern to the outside world, the two sides have agreed to establish a comprehensive vaccine partnership. Biden announced that the United States will vaccinate 550,000 Korean military officers and soldiers with the new crown vaccine.
On the 22nd, Samsung Biologics signed a contract for the production of new crown vaccines with Modena, a US new crown vaccine manufacturer.
Moon Jae-in said, “This undoubtedly reflects the importance that the United States attaches to the Korea-US alliance.” Yonhap News Agency also commented that this will not only contribute to South Korea’s leap to become a global new crown vaccine production hub, but will also continue to implement vaccine imports and independent R&D and production by the government. The concurrent "dual vaccine strategy" is escorted.
Data map: US President Biden.
Reiterate the absence of the "Denuclearization of the Peninsula" peace roadmap
In the joint statement, South Korea and the United States reaffirmed that a dialogue based on the commitments between South Korea and North Korea and the North and the United States is indispensable for the denuclearization of the Peninsula.
Biden also announced at the press conference that he would appoint Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US State Department, as the US special representative to North Korea.
Moon Jae-in commented that Kim Sung is well versed in peninsula conditions and the process of denuclearization negotiations. He has contributed to the joint statement between Singapore, North Korea and the United States, and he does not need an interpreter when communicating with North Korea.
"This move by the US side has released to North Korea the message that it is ready for the dialogue between the DPRK and the US."
"Actually, for President Moon Jae-in, the most important topic of this visit to the United States is the Peninsula issue." Huang Jae-ho, director of the Center for Global Security Cooperation of Korea University of Foreign Studies, analyzed in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency that he noticed the leadership of South Korea and the United States. When talking about the peace process on the peninsula in the joint statement of the People’s Republic of China, it differed from the expression "the denuclearization of North Korea" used by most US officials before, and instead used the expression "the denuclearization of the peninsula." "This reflects that the Biden administration at least Accepted South Korea’s position on the surface."
Huang Zaihao also reminded that the foreign language of the US government may not be exactly the same as the actual thinking. Whether the US really wants to promote peace on the peninsula with a practical policy toward North Korea needs further observation.
Yonhap News Agency also noticed in the analysis that the leaders of the two sides did not specifically mention the road map for denuclearization negotiations at the press conference.
There are speculations that there may be differences of opinion between the two sides on the issue of seeking a breakthrough for the resumption of negotiations between the DPRK and the United States.
The effect of the strengthening of South Korea-U.S. relations remains to be seen
In addition to vaccine cooperation and the Peninsula issue, which are of high concern to the outside world, the leaders of South Korea and the United States also agreed during the meeting to jointly build a solid supply chain for semiconductors, car batteries, and pharmaceuticals, and reached an agreement on ending the "Korea-US Missile Guide."
Yonhap News Agency analysis pointed out on the 22nd that the message passed by the leaders of the two sides at this meeting is very clear: under their leadership, the 70-year-old South Korea-US alliance will maintain a strong strength.
"They also sent a clear signal that the alliance is developing into a comprehensive partnership to cover various global issues beyond regional security."
The "Korea Times" comment on the 23rd also pointed out that the scope of the decades-long security alliance between South Korea and the United States seems to be expanding.
"The summit brought a win-win result to the leaders of both sides, and both sides got what they really wanted in the talks." For South Korea, the summit is expected to provide impetus to Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy. The four major conglomerates, Samsung, Hyundai, SK, and LG, announced a US$39.4 billion investment plan in the United States that will also benefit the United States.
"But under the ostensible results of'win-win', we must pay attention to its actual effect." Huang Zaihao reminded that everything has advantages and disadvantages. Even if "win-win", both sides have "big win" and "small win". "Whether it is Korea-U.S. economic cooperation or security cooperation, we must calmly observe and see whether the apparent'win-win' will bring actual benefits." (End)