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Speaker
Boehner, Vice President Biden, distinguished members of the House and
the Senate, ladies and gentlemen,
I
am privileged to stand in this chamber—this hallowed ground of
freedom and democracy—to speak about our friendship and our future
together.
After
I arrived in Washington the day before yesterday, I went to the
Korean War Memorial near the banks of the Potomac.
I
read the words etched in granite:
“Our
nation honors her sons and daughters, who answered the call to defend
a country they never knew and a people they never met.”
Time
and again, I am moved when I read those familiar words.
Let
me express—on behalf of the people of the Republic of Korea—our
profound gratitude to America’s veterans. Their blood, sweat and
tears helped safeguard freedom and democracy.
I
also offer my heartfelt appreciation to four men in particular.
They
served in that war and now serve in this chamber.
Their
names are Congressmen John Conyers, Charles Rangel, Sam Johnson and
Howard Coble.
Gentlemen,
my country thanks you.
When
the guns fell silent in the summer of 1953, Koreans were surviving on
67 dollars a year. Six decades later, Korea is one of the top five
car producers and the eighth-largest trading nation.
Some
call this the “Miracle on the Han River.”
But
for those of us in Korea, it was anything but a miracle.
And
it wasn’t just built from within. Koreans worked tirelessly in the
mines of Germany, in the jungles of Vietnam, and in the deserts of
the Middle East.
These
are the people—the proud Korean people—I am so honored to serve
as President.
They
are the ones that made Korea what it is today.
Together,
we will write a sequel to that story: “A Second Miracle on the Han
River.”
This
time, it will be written with a revived economy, with a people that
are happy, with a flourishing culture, and on a pathway to a
reunified Peninsula.
These
are the four tenets that guide my government.
We
also know that we didn’t come this far on our own.
Along
our journey we have been aided by great friends and among them, the
United States is second to none.
America,
I thank you for your friendship.
If
the past is anything to go by, our new journey will also be filled
with excitement.
This
year, we honor the 60th anniversary of our alliance.
And
today, I would like to acknowledge one iconic family that captures
those 60 years.
It
is the family of Lieutenant Colonel David Morgan.
Colonel
Morgan’s grandfather, the late Warren Morgan, fought in the Korean
War. The senior Morgan was a commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
His
father, John Morgan, also served in the Korean War.
He
was a battery commander of the 213th Field Artillery.
Colonel
Morgan himself has served two tours in Korea in 1992 and 2005.
The
Morgan family is a living testimony to our 60 years together—three
generations of Americans helping to safeguard Korea.
As
President of a grateful nation, I salute the Morgan family and the
commitment and friendship of the American people.
Looking
forward, our precious alliance is setting its sights on a better
world—a brighter future. Bound by trust, guided by shared values,
we are cooperating across and beyond our own boundaries.
Korea
has stood by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Together,
we supported peace-building and reconstruction in those nations.
Following
the Washington conference in 2010, Seoul hosted the 2nd Nuclear
Security Summit last year. There we reaffirmed our commitment to the
vision of “a world without nuclear weapons.”
“A
world without nuclear weapons”—President Obama’s vision—must
start on the Korean Peninsula. For the Peninsula is home to the only
divided nation-state and directly faces the threat of nuclear
weapons.
It
is an ideal test-bed for a future free of nuclear arms.
If
we can pull it off on the Korean Peninsula, then we can pull it off
anywhere else.
Korea
has been pursuing the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
It
is also firmly committed to the principle of non-proliferation.
Korea
and the United States are partnering to build reactors in third
countries.
In
this regard, we need a modernized, mutually beneficial successor to
our existing civil nuclear agreement.
Such
an accord will bring huge benefits to related industries in both our
countries.
Our
partnership also extends to development assistance.
The
United States and Korea send the largest numbers of aid volunteers
abroad. We will work side by side to help lower-income countries.
In
2011, our aid agencies signed a document that facilitates these
efforts.
And
Korea’s aid agency will soon be signing another with the US Peace
Corps.
In
March of last year, the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement went into
effect.
The
agreement adds an economic pillar to our alliance.
It
has moved us closer to a comprehensive strategic alliance.
We
can do even more.
If
the bill on visa quotas for Korean professionals is passed in this
Congress, both our economies will benefit, for it would help create
many more jobs.
It
would show our people what the FTA can do for them.
I
ask Congress for its understanding—for its support.
Our
FTA also connects East Asia and North America and provides a key
platform for building a common Asia-Pacific market.
The
agreement also helps underpin Washington’s rebalancing toward the
region.
Collectively,
these developments paint a forward-leaning alliance.
They
point to a 21st century partnership that is both comprehensive and
strategic.
Ladies
and gentlemen,
That
is our present, the foundation on which we stand.
I
now wish to share my vision of “our future together”—a future
that we will build together as partners.
Following
our meeting yesterday, President Obama and I adopted a Joint
Declaration.
Building
on the extraordinary accomplishments of the last sixty years, we
determined to embark on another shared journey toward peace on the
Korean Peninsula, toward cooperation in Northeast Asia, and finally
toward prosperity around the world.
It
is my hope that as we make this journey, our partnership will be
guided by a three-part vision.
The
first is to lay the groundwork for enduring peace on the Korean
Peninsula and over time for reunification.
That
future, I know, feels distant today.
North
Korea continues to issue threats and provocations firing long-range
missiles, staging nuclear tests that undermine peace on the Peninsula
and far beyond it.
The
Korean government is reacting resolutely, but calmly.
We
are maintaining the highest level of readiness.
We
are strengthening our cooperation with the US and other international
partners.
Korea’s
economy and financial markets remain stable.
Companies—both
domestic and foreign—see this, and are expanding their investments.
Korea’s
economic fundamentals are strong.
Its
government is equal to the task. And it is backed by the might of our
alliance.
So
long as this continues you may rest assured: no North Korean
provocation can succeed.
I
will remain steadfast in pushing forward a process of trust-building
on the Korean Peninsula. I am confident that trust is the path to
peace—the path to a Korea that is whole again.
The
Republic of Korea will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Pyongyang’s
provocations will be met decisively.
At
the same time, I will not link humanitarian aid provided to the North
Korean people, such as infants and young children, to the political
situation.
And
with the trust that gradually builds up, through exchange, through
cooperation, we will cement the grounds for durable peace and
—eventually— peaceful reunification.
But
as we say in Korea, it takes two hands to clap.
Trust
is not something that can be imposed on another.
The
pattern is all too familiar—and badly misguided.
North
Korea provokes a crisis.
The
international community imposes a certain period of sanctions.
Later,
it tries to patch things up by offering concessions and rewards.
Meanwhile,
Pyongyang uses that time to advance its nuclear capabilities.
And
uncertainty prevails.
It
is time to put an end to this vicious cycle.
Pyongyang
is pursuing two goals at once, a nuclear arsenal and economic
development. We know these are incompatible.
You
cannot have your cake and eat it, too.
The
leadership in Pyongyang must make no mistake.
Security
does not come from nuclear weapons.
Security
comes when the lives of its people are improved.
It
comes when people are free to pursue their happiness.
North
Korea must make the right choice.
It
must walk the path to becoming a responsible member in the community
of nations.
In
order to induce North Korea to make that choice, the international
community must speak with one voice.
Its
message must be clear and consistent.
Only
then will we see real progress in inter-Korean relations.
Only
then will lasting peace be brought to the Korean Peninsula and
Northeast Asia.
60
years ago, a stretch of earth bisecting the Korean Peninsula was
cleared of arms.
Today,
that demilitarized zone drawn to prevent armed collision is the most
militarized place on the planet. And the standoff around the DMZ has
the potential to endanger global peace.
We
must defuse that danger.
Not
just South and North Korea. The world must also get involved.
The
demilitarized zone must live up to its name, a zone that strengthens
the peace not undermines it.
It
is with this vision in mind that I hope to work toward an
international park inside the DMZ.
It
will be a park that sends a message of peace to all of humanity.
This
could be pursued in parallel with my Trust-building Process.
There,
I believe we can start to grow peace—to grow trust.
It
would be a zone of peace bringing together not just Koreans separated
by a military line, but also the citizens of the world.
I
call on America and the global community to join us in seeking the
promise of a new day.
Honorable
members of Congress,
The
second leg of our journey extends beyond the Korean Peninsula to all
of Northeast Asia where we must build a mechanism of peace and
cooperation.
Sadly,
today the nations of this region fail to fulfill all that we can
achieve collectively. That potential is tremendous.
The
region’s economies are gaining ever greater clout and becoming more
and more interlinked. Yet, differences stemming from history are
widening.
It
has been said that those who are blind to the past cannot see the
future.
This
is obviously a problem for the here and now.
But
the larger issue is about tomorrow.
For
where there is failure to acknowledge honestly what happened
yesterday, there can be no tomorrow.
Asia
suffers from what I call “Asia’s paradox,” the disconnect
between growing economic interdependence on the one hand, and
backward political, security cooperation on the other.
How
we manage this paradox—this will determine the shape of a new order
in Asia.
Together,
we must meet these challenges.
And
so I propose an initiative for peace and cooperation in Northeast
Asia.
We
cannot afford to put off a multilateral dialogue process in Northeast
Asia.
Together,
the United States and other Northeast Asian partners could start with
softer issues. These include environmental issues and disaster
relief. They include nuclear safety and counter-terrorism.
Trust
will be built through this process.
And
that trust will propel us to expand the horizons of our cooperation.
The
initiative will serve the cause of peace and development in the
region.
But
it will be firmly rooted in the Korea-US alliance.
In
this sense, it could reinforce President Obama’s strategy of
rebalancing towards the Asia-Pacific.
Of
course, North Korea could also be invited to join.
If
we start where our interests overlap, then later on it will be easier
to find common ground on the larger challenges—easier to find
solutions to our mutual benefit.
I
firmly believe that Korea and the United States will work hand in
hand as we shape an emerging process for cooperation in the region.
The
third and final leg of our journey extends even farther beyond the
Peninsula—beyond Northeast Asia to the rest of the world.
It
is to contribute to happiness—the happiness of Koreans on both
halves of the Peninsula—the happiness of all humanity.
This
is a vision I also advanced at my inauguration.
The
“Pursuit of Happiness” is enshrined in the American Declaration
of Independence.
It
also occupies a special place in the Korean Constitution.
I
have long believed that our alliance should aim far —that it should
ultimately seek a happier world.
Guided
by this spirit, we stood side by side in the frontiers of peace and
freedom.
Infused
by this spirit, we are expanding cooperation on global issues like
counter-terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation and the global financial
crisis.
Our
efforts will not stop there.
Together,
we will help spread the universal values of freedom, human rights and
the rule of law.
We
will march together to take on global challenges —from fighting
poverty to tackling climate change and other environmental issues.
Members
of the House and the Senate,
Our
journey since the Korean War has been led by a specific mission to
respond to threats and provocations from the North and to defend
freedom and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Today,
our alliance is called upon to go beyond that—beyond just the
defense of freedom and peace.
We
are called upon to step forward on a new journey—a journey toward a
Korea that is at peace, that is happy, and that is made whole.
Our
economic partnership must also aim higher and reach further into the
future.
President
Obama has outlined the Startup America Initiative.
Together
with my strategy for a creative economy, we can advance toward a
common goal—to help channel the innovative ideas, the passion, and
the drive of our youths towards a brighter future.
Koreans
and Americans are partnering in new ways whether at world-tours of
Korean pop-stars for Hollywood films or at reconstruction sites in
the Middle East.
Together,
we can envision a future that is richer, that is safer, and that is
happier.
Our
chorus of freedom and peace, of future and hope, has not ceased to
resonate over the last 60 years and will not cease to go on.
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