- Focus on Continued U.S.-South Korea Cooperation and America’s Asia-Pacific Regional Policy

On December 6, United States Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech at Yonsei to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance, which was formed in the aftermath of the Korean War.  Speaking at Yonsei as part of his East Asia tour of China, Japan, and South Korea, Mr. Biden addressed the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and South Korea, Japanese and Chinese relations, and North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.  After Yonsei President Jeong Kap-young’s welcoming remarks, which included an introduction to Yonsei University, Mr. Biden took the stage, greeted by sustained applause from the audience.  He began by asking for a moment of silence to honor the recently-deceased South African leader, Nelson Mandela, whose courage, sacrifice, and leadership helped to end apartheid in South Africa, while initiating the difficult process of racial reconciliation in that nation.  Mr. Biden then focused on the past sixty years of relations between the U.S. and South Korea, saying that the two nations have been “sharing a journey toward a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific region,” and that “the U.S. could not have a better partner on this journey than the Republic of Korea.”  Emphasizing the fact that “the U.S.-South Korea Alliance has been a linchpin for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr. Biden told the audience that America’s goal in the region is to create “an open, transparent economic order to deliver growth for all through the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” a proposed trade agreement among a number of Asia-Pacific nations.  He continued:  “President Obama and the American people are determined to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea Alliance, cultivate new partners in the Pacific Basin, build constructive relations with China, pursue major agreements that further integrate our economies, and strengthen important institutions of the Asia-Pacific region,” such as the annual East Asia Summit.         Regarding the sometimes-tense relations between South Korea and Japan, Mr. Biden insisted that the Asia-Pacific region needs the two nations to have a strong and productive alliance; in turn, it is crucial that the U.S. maintain close relations with both South Korea and Japan:  “If the leading democracies [in East Asia], Japan and the Republic of Korea, are able to improve their relations and cooperation with one another, the entire region will be more stable and more secure.” Turning to China, he said that the U.S. remains “committed to sustaining a positive, cooperative U.S.-Chinese relationship.”  But in light of China’s sudden announcement of its Air Defense Identification Zone—covering much of the East China Sea—which has created considerable apprehension across the region, Mr. Biden was clear on the position of the Obama administration:  “The U.S. does not recognize the zone.  It will have no effect on American operations.” And in terms of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, Mr. Biden was unequivocal:  “The United States is committed to doing what it takes to defend our allies and ourselves against North Korean aggression. The United States and the world have to make it absolutely clear to Kim Jong-un that the international community will not accept or tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea.”  He added: “North Korea needs to understand that it cannot return to the old pattern of seeking rewards for bad behavior, and the U.S. is prepared to go back to six-party talks when North Korea demonstrates its full commitment to complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.”  Mr. Biden concluded by stating that the U.S. will never accept the idea of a permanently divided Korean Peninsula.  Because the bilateral meeting between Korean President Park Geun-hye and Vice President Biden ran longer than expected, the event was delayed by half an hour.  Over 1,500 people were in attendance, including U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Sung Kim, former Korean Prime Ministers Han Deok-soo and Chung Un-chan, and a number of domestic and international journalists, along with Yonsei students, staff, and faculty members.