Minister Kang to meet with Japanese counterpart Thursday morning
- 5 years ago
강경화 내일 고노 외무상 만날 예정,... 폼페이오 "한미일도 개최할 것"
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in Thailand for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
She is set to meet her Japanese counterpart tomorrow, as well as her U.S. counterpart sometime this week.
For more, we have our foreign ministry correspondent Lee Ji-won on the line for us in Bangkok.
Ji-won give us the latest.
Aram, Seoul's foreign affairs ministry announced that Minister Kang will be having her sitdown with Japan's foreign minister Taro Kono tomorrow morning.
Both ministers arrived earlier today, and their meeting will take place at 8-40 AM local time, so that would be 10-40 Korean time.
Now this is the first time the two diplomats will be seeing face to face after Japan's retaliatory trade restrictions on Seoul earlier this month.
But it's not likely that they will find a solution to the issue, as Minister Kang said, upon her arrival at the airport, that she will strongly relay Seoul's stance and that they should work to make sure ties are not severed.
Now, we're also likely to see a trilateral sitdown with the two diplomats and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,... on Friday, we hear.
Pompeo told the traveling press en route to Bangkok, that he will be meeting with minister Kang and Kono, and with the two of them together.
He said he will encourage them to find a path forward and that it's important that the two great partners continue to work closely with the U.S. on their efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
Now this comes after Reuters reported that the U.S. has urged the two countries to sign a "standstill agreement."
Citing a senior U.S. official, Reuters said the standstill agreement would not help narrow the differences between the two sides, but would prevent further actions taking place for a set period of time... to allow talks to happen.
The length of the agreement has not yet been determined.
While the U.S. had been cautious on this issue as Seoul and Tokyo are Washington's closest Asian allies,... the recent moves signal that they will get involved and mediate between the two sides.
Ji-won we also heard that Pompeo made remarks on a possible encounter with North Korea in Bangkok?
Pompeo said he doesn't anticipate the North Koreans to be at the event, but if they are,... then he looks forward to meeting with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.
Now we heard from foreign affairs sources earlier this week that Ri will be skipping this event, the 4th time in 20 years that the North isn't sending its top diplomat to the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Instead, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, the North Korean ambassador in Thailand, Kim Che-bong is to be participating in the event.
But we're going to have to wait and see on that.
Now Ji-won, today is the start for Minister Kang's diplomacy over there,... can you tell us what she has lined up?
Minister Kang, upon her arrival earlier this afternoon has just started her trip with a bilateral sitdown with her counter
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is in Thailand for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
She is set to meet her Japanese counterpart tomorrow, as well as her U.S. counterpart sometime this week.
For more, we have our foreign ministry correspondent Lee Ji-won on the line for us in Bangkok.
Ji-won give us the latest.
Aram, Seoul's foreign affairs ministry announced that Minister Kang will be having her sitdown with Japan's foreign minister Taro Kono tomorrow morning.
Both ministers arrived earlier today, and their meeting will take place at 8-40 AM local time, so that would be 10-40 Korean time.
Now this is the first time the two diplomats will be seeing face to face after Japan's retaliatory trade restrictions on Seoul earlier this month.
But it's not likely that they will find a solution to the issue, as Minister Kang said, upon her arrival at the airport, that she will strongly relay Seoul's stance and that they should work to make sure ties are not severed.
Now, we're also likely to see a trilateral sitdown with the two diplomats and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,... on Friday, we hear.
Pompeo told the traveling press en route to Bangkok, that he will be meeting with minister Kang and Kono, and with the two of them together.
He said he will encourage them to find a path forward and that it's important that the two great partners continue to work closely with the U.S. on their efforts to denuclearize North Korea.
Now this comes after Reuters reported that the U.S. has urged the two countries to sign a "standstill agreement."
Citing a senior U.S. official, Reuters said the standstill agreement would not help narrow the differences between the two sides, but would prevent further actions taking place for a set period of time... to allow talks to happen.
The length of the agreement has not yet been determined.
While the U.S. had been cautious on this issue as Seoul and Tokyo are Washington's closest Asian allies,... the recent moves signal that they will get involved and mediate between the two sides.
Ji-won we also heard that Pompeo made remarks on a possible encounter with North Korea in Bangkok?
Pompeo said he doesn't anticipate the North Koreans to be at the event, but if they are,... then he looks forward to meeting with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.
Now we heard from foreign affairs sources earlier this week that Ri will be skipping this event, the 4th time in 20 years that the North isn't sending its top diplomat to the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Instead, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, the North Korean ambassador in Thailand, Kim Che-bong is to be participating in the event.
But we're going to have to wait and see on that.
Now Ji-won, today is the start for Minister Kang's diplomacy over there,... can you tell us what she has lined up?
Minister Kang, upon her arrival earlier this afternoon has just started her trip with a bilateral sitdown with her counter