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US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
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Mark Esper also stresses Washington’s commitment to dialogue with Pyongyang
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who is currently visiting Japan, said he plans to request that Seoul and Tokyo work quickly to resolve their recent conflict. Commenting on Aug. 6 on the recent frictions that have erupted between the two sides due to Japan’s export controls, Esper was quoted by Reuters as saying, “I would ask them to both resolve this issue quickly and let’s really focus on North Korea and China.” He also spoke out against a withdrawal from the South Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which some people in South Korea have recently been calling for. “I would honestly encourage the intel-sharing to continue. [GSOMIA is] key to us,” he said. Esper also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to dialogue with Pyongyang, stressing that it would not overreact to North Korea’s recent short-range missile launches. “I think the key is to keep the door open for diplomacy,” he said. “We're not going to overreact to these [launches], but we monitor and we watch them closely, and we're cognizant of what's happening,” he continued. Reuters also quoted Esper as saying that the projectiles launched by North Korea were short-range missiles, and that he planned to speak with the South Korean and Japanese governments about North Korea-related issues. He further explained that there were no plans at the current time to turn the current “Dong Maeng” computer simulation exercise between South Korea and the US into a joint military exercise going forward. Meanwhile, Kyodo News reported that Esper planned to meet on Aug. 7 with Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya. By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
