Seoul, June 10 (IANS) South Korean Prime Minister nominee Kim Min-seok said on Tuesday that he expects to play a role in developing South Korea’s relations with the United States and Japan if appointed to the Number 2 government post.
Kim made the remark during his first meeting with reporters since President Lee Jae-myung nominated him for the prime minister’s post on the day he took office, June 4.
“I have a relatively deep understanding of the United States and have had personal relationships with key members of the Trump administration for quite a long time,” the nominee said, citing his studies at Harvard University and qualification as a licensed US attorney.
“I think that my serving as prime minister of the South Korean government will in many respects contribute in certain ways to working out South Korea-US relations,” he said.
Kim, a four-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party and a former top campaign aide to Lee, dismissed rumours that he is anti-American and his entry to the US has been banned due to his involvement in a 1985 student protest at the US cultural centre in Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.
He said the protest, which was staged to demand an apology from the US for allegedly overlooking a bloody crackdown by South Korea’s then military-backed regime on anti-government protests in the southwestern city of Gwangju, was a “very important incident.”
He also said he believes the incident helped shape the US government’s response to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration in December, as it consistently expressed support for South Korea’s people and democratic systems while opposing the “military insurrection forces.”
On South Korea’s relations with Japan, the nominee stressed that he has long thought the bilateral relationship is “far more important than what the general public believes.”
In particular, he highlighted the importance of South Korea-Japan relations in finding a breakthrough for South Korea’s ailing economy and negotiating a tariff deal with Washington.
“I’ve had a wide interest in the US and especially the Trump administration, as well as Japan, China and other countries, and thought about the kind of personal relationships, diplomatic relations and foreign policies that would be right to realise South Korea’s national interest,” Kim said.
“If I become prime minister, I will work on those issues to the best of my ability.”
–IANS
int/jk/sd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
