Cheong Wa Dae: North Korea condemnation in joint statement reflects Seoul's existing position

Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that the strong condemnation of North Korea in the joint statement issued after President Lee Jae Myung's summit with EU leaders reflects Seoul's longstanding position and does not represent a departure from it.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac held a briefing at the press center in Rome, Italy, on Friday local time.

A Cheong Wa Dae official at the briefing said the language in the joint statement "does not go beyond the level we have maintained all along," and acknowledged that the EU holds somewhat stronger views on the matter. "But it is not the case that we went further because of the EU," the official said.

The official added that Seoul's position on North Korea's human rights situation and military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow "is as it has been stated, and it was simply expressed here." South Korea's principles on the North Korean nuclear issue and its approach to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula "are not in conflict with each other," the official said.

President Lee met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday and issued a joint statement condemning "the support provided by third parties, in particular North Korea, enabling Russia to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine." Both sides called on Russia and North Korea to "immediately cease all related activities and comply with all relevant provisions of the UN Charter and all relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

The statement also said North Korea "will never be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and cannot hold any special status in that regard," and expressed "serious concern" over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The response addressed questions from some quarters over whether South Korea had, at the EU's urging, taken an unusually hard line against North Korea in the joint statement. Seoul's answer was that its position had not significantly changed.

Wi also said consultations on the EU's new steel import regulation measures — set to take effect soon — had been "very productive" during the summit.

Wi said President Lee "conveyed the position that regulatory measures the EU is pursuing, such as steel tariff-rate quotas and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, must not become new trade barriers, and held consultations on the matter." He said the talks were "very productive" and promised more details as the legislative content is finalized.

To protect its domestic steel industry, the EU has decided to cut the volume of steel imports exempt from tariffs from 35 million metric tons per year to 18.3 million metric tons — nearly half — starting July 1. Imports exceeding that threshold will face a new tariff rate of 50 percent, double the current 25 percent.

South Korea and other major steel-exporting countries are in negotiations to secure as large a share of the duty-free quota as possible.

Meanwhile, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official, asked whether President Lee might hold bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit, said that "of course, if the opportunity arises, there could be dialogue with the United States," but stopped short of any commitment, saying it was "very difficult to say" whether such a meeting would happen.

The official noted, however, that "the focus of this trip is Europe."