Members of the ruling Saenuri Party rushed to Hwang’s defense, noting that the prime minister was speaking specifically of a situation in which South Korea’s 37,000 Japanese residents were in danger.
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Carter reiterated his position on the issue of technology transfer when South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo, who is now in Washington along with President Park Geun-hye, asked him during a meeting at the Pentagon to reconsider his April decision, Yonhap reported, citing a statement from the South Korean defense ministry. The director-level talks, which began previous year, have since been dragging.
The leaders discussed areas of mutual concern in the Asia-Pacific, ” the Defense Department statement said, including the challenges posed by North Korea, and the importance of continued alliance cooperation and coordination to deter and, if necessary, defend against and defeat North Korean threats.
She went on to hype the trilateral diplomacy that she said was a “new endeavor” to make important contributions to improving bilateral and multinational cooperation in Northeast Asia, the only region that lacks mechanisms for multilateral cooperation.
Nakatani’s three-day trip came as Seoul unstiffens its line against the Shinzo Abe administration despite its revisionist drive and move to reinforce three-way security cooperation involving the U.S.
Senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs Ju Chul-ki separately told reporters that the date of the summit talks has not been confirmed, though it is likely to be held around November 1.
Now on a four-day official visit to the United States, Park said in Washington on Thursday that she was open to a sit-down with Abe on the sidelines of a trilateral leadership dialogue being held with China in Seoul.
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Under South Korea’s constitution, North Korea is considered South Korean territory, a Ministry of National Defense spokesperson noted at a Thursday press conference.
