17 September 1999
Subjects: Bilateral relationship; commitment to UN resolution on East Timor; trade
E&OE……………………………………………………………………………………….
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we have just had a very extensive discussion, firstly between the President and myself and later we were joined by senior ministers on both sides.
It’s fair to say that the bilateral relationship is in a very healthy condition. And I particularly welcome the contribution that the President’s visit, his first as Head of State and Head of Government, to this country and it will make a very important, real, as well as symbolic contribution to the strength of the relationship. It’s a very strongly based economic relationship. We have a shared political history and the President spoke movingly in our private discussion and our wider discussion of Australia’s contribution to the defence of his country during the Korean War almost 50 years ago.
The modern relationship is categorised by strong trade. And the President also indicated to me that subject to the approval of the national assembly of his country it was Korea’s intention to contribute an infantry battalion to the peacekeeping force going into East Timor.
Can I say on a personal note how much I welcome the President’s visit to this country not only because he’s the President of Korea but he has had a remarkable and courageous and distinguished career in politics as a defender of liberty and a proponent of democracy. There are few leaders in the world today who have suffered so much in the course of reaching their current leadership position and few who have been such a shining example of courage in the most difficult circumstances in standing up for what he believes in. And I admire him for that and salute him for that and he is most welcome. And as he reminded us at the end of our discussion the people-to-people links between our country remain the core of the relationship as it always is in the relationship between two societies.
I’ll now invite the President to make some introductory remarks and then we’ll take some questions.
PRESIDENT OF KOREA:
On behalf of the Korean delegation, let me take this opportunity to thank the Governor-General and Mrs Deane and Prime Minister and Mrs Howard once again for their warm welcome.
At the summit that just ended, Prime Minister Howard and I had constructive discussions on matters of common concern. Our to countries have long pursued common values of democracy and a market economy and have formed close cooperative relationships in all areas, including politics, economy, science, technology and culture.
Today, the leaders of the two countries agreed to expand and deepen such relations and to further develop it into a new partnership; the basic plans for developing the partnership are contained in the joint statement that is being made public today.
In today’s bilateral talks, I explained about how Korea has been coping with the recent economic crisis and expressed my deep appreciation to Australia which extended substantial help to us; Prime Minister Howard gave a high evaluation to our economic reform efforts and promised to work together with Korea continuously.
The two of us discussed in depth the situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. I gave an explanation of Korea’s engagement policies and comprehensive approach toward North Korea and asked for Australia’s sustained cooperation in this matter.
Prime Minister Howard and I welcomed the results of recent talks between the United States and North Korea on missiles. We hope that there will be good results in their future talks. In particular, Prime Minister Howard evaluated our engagement policy toward North Korea as the most realistic alternative for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and expressed his active support.
Prime Minister Howard and I also welcomed the Indonesian Government’s acceptance of international peacekeeping force to help the situation, to help settle the situation in East Timor and the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of a relation to that end.
Our two countries have agreed to keep in close consultation for the resolution of the situation in East Timor including participation in the international peacekeeping force.
As for strengthening substantial exchanges between Korea and Australia the two countries agreed to expand bilateral trade and investment in a balanced manner. In a variety areas including energy supply, natural resources, science, technology, information, communication and agriculture and marine industries – in these areas we’ve also exchanged views on mutually beneficial collaboration.
Furthermore, we decided that our two countries should intensify co-operation in APEC, WTO and other international arenas. We also attended the signing of the treaty and judicial assistance in civil and commercial matters between Korea and Australia, as well as the agreement between the two governments on scientific and technological co-operation. The agreements represent expansion of the legal and systemic foundation for further developing the bilateral relations.
Throughout these set of talks I was able to confirm the Prime Minister’s active interest in and eagerness for further developing the friendly relations between our two countries and for that I am deeply grateful. I invited the Prime Minister to visit Korea in the near future and he accepted.
I am extremely pleased to announce these gratifying results of today’s Korea-Australia summit. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
We could now have a question from the visiting Korean party.
JOURNALIST:
Question to President Kim. In the summit talks you confirmed close co-operation in your policy toward North Korea. Has there been any specific requests that the President has made to the Prime Minister in line with the release of the Perry Report in the United States? In the endeavours to get North Korea out of the isolation and become a member of the international community what can Korea and Australia do together?
PRESIDENT OF KOREA:
I explained about the Perry Report and our engagement policy. In our efforts to change North Korea into a responsible member of the international community we requested Australia’s active support, a country that has the will to act and the passion to act and I asked the Prime Minister to try to persuade North Korea toward those goals at every opportunity of contact that the Australian Government has with North Korea. I asked in short that Australia try to exercise as much influence as it can so that North Korea will come out in response to our engagement policy.
JOURNALIST:
Amanda Buckley from Bloomberg news. Mr President, I’d just like to ask you about your contribution to the East Timor peacekeeping force. How soon will your support arrive for the peacekeeping force? How long do you believe it will stay there? And also, can we have your analysis of the outlook for Indonesia and how it can overcome some of its political and economic problems at present. Thank you.
PRESIDENT OF KOREA:
During the Auckland APEC meeting which brought together the Presidents and Prime Ministers of 21 countries we did not discuss East Timor as a formal agenda, we discussed the matter in various informal arenas. And I think this has been a big factor in influencing the Indonesian Government coming to the decision it did and we welcome the decision. Now, in accordance with the UN resolution, a multinational force where Australia will be having the leadership rule, Korea will take part in such peacekeeping force and the plan now is to be sending a battalion of infantrymen. So under the authority of the United Nations and in close co-operation with Australia we will do our share to bring about peace in East Timor so that the free will of the East Timorese people can be fully implemented. I think we have been very wise in our APEC meetings in the sense that we were able to have an influence on the Indonesian Government but in a way that did not hurt the pride or damage the face of the Indonesian Government and people. We hope that the Indonesian Government will continue to work with the United Nations and with the multinational forces so that the goals can be met. Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
A question to the Prime Minister. There is a great deal of imbalance in trade and investment between the two countries. Australian investments in Korea, in particular, remain at a very low level. What measures do you have to rectify the situation?
PRIME MINISTER:
It is never possible to have a perfect trade balance with every country with which you trade. I observed this morning to the President and his colleagues that Australia has a trade surplus with Korea but in turn Korea has a trade surplus with many of the countries with which Australia has a trade deficit. So, you can never have a complete balance. You have to accept that there will be balances and imbalances but what you can do is to progressively remove the trade barriers. And we are doing that. I observed to my Korean visitors that we have over 50 per cent of the domestic car market in Australia, which is accounted for by imports. And particularly in relation to small motor vehicles the share held by Korean cars is very high indeed. So, I think we work towards reducing the barriers but we must be careful not to have as a specific goal a perfect balance in every case because that is impossible to achieve.
JOURNALIST:
My question is also to President Kim. I’m wondering - and it’s on the subject of East Timor - I’m wondering, given Korea’s own history as having been a colony of Japan for 50 years which then very successfully established a very good relationship with Japan in post-colonial times, I wonder if you have any advice to the Timorese and the Indonesians on how they should conduct their future relationship so that they can also have a productive relationship post-independence?
PRESIDENT OF KOREA:
It is very difficult to give you a full answer, it is too early. But basically Indonesia from now on, so that peace can be quickly restored in East Timor and that independence can be granted, Indonesia must take the lead, it must make the leading efforts. It must show genuine intentions to the East Timorese people. I think this is important. Too many people have been sacrificed under the militia. The Indonesian Government has the primary responsibility for law and order in East Timor. And the East Timorese people also, many of even the independence fighters think the same. So it is very important and we may not be able to alleviate all the grievances all at once. But the first thing the Indonesian Government must do to show genuine effort in restoring peace and order in East Timor and in cooperating with the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the general direction of reconciliation.
PRIME MINISTER:
I think we must terminate now because the President has another engagement. Thank you very much.
[ends]