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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha before meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House on Oct. 7. (AP)
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Ministry official says phone call was conducted in “respectful tone”
“There were deliberations about the inter-Korean military agreement [during a phone call between the South Korean Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State on Sept. 17]. The [first] phone call, which lasted for 40 minutes, was conducted in a respectful tone.” (official from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has belatedly taken steps to tell the full story behind Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha’s acknowledgement on Oct. 10 that she had been challenged on the inter-Korean military agreement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shortly before the third inter-Korean summit. The Ministry was attempting to quell rumors about awkwardness in South Korea-US relations following a press report that Pompeo was “infuriated” and used “harsh language” in a phone call to Kang about the inter-Korean military agreement and the attempt to connect the South and North Korean railroad networks. According to the Foreign Ministry’s explanation, the controversial phone conversation on Sept. 17 actually consisted of two telephone calls, one in the morning and one in the evening. On both occasions, it was Pompeo who made the phone call. In connection with this, Kang said on Oct. 10 that Pompeo “had a lot of questions within my scope of knowledge in regard to matters about which he hadn’t been adequately briefed.” The Foreign Ministry official said that Pompeo, after reviewing the related briefing, “posed a number of questions” to Kang in regard to “areas he hadn’t been adequately briefed about and needed to confirm separately.” At the end of the phone call, after answering these questions, Kang told Pompeo she understood that there had been “adequate communication between the military authorities” and asked him to confirm this matter inside the US government. On the evening of the same day, Pompeo called Kang back and said the information in question had been confirmed inside the US government and that the situation had been dealt with. Pompeo told Kang he hoped the South Koreans would get some good results from the Pyongyang summit, the Foreign Ministry explained. Countering reports that Pompeo lost his temper A Foreign Ministry official disputed reports claiming that Pompeo had lost his temper and said that the first phone call had been conducted in a “respectful tone.” When asked whether Pompeo had apologized during the second phone call for calling Kang without a complete understanding of the issue because of internal American communication issues, the official said, “that was certainly the impression that was given.” The Foreign Ministry also said that only the inter-Korean military agreement had been brought up during the phone call and denied reports claiming that mention had also been made about a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the inter-Korean railroad project, slated to be held this year. Inter-Korean military agreement adequately discussed by SK and US military officials “The Defense Ministry had been in consultation with [USFK] Commander Brooks, and the [Blue House] National Security Office with [White House National Security Advisor John] Bolton. This was a communication problem inside the US government,” alleged a senior official at the Blue House on Thursday. “This wasn’t the primary responsibility of the Foreign Ministry. This isn’t something that has to be deliberated from scratch by Kang Kyung-wha and Mike Pompeo,” the official added. South Korea’s Defense Ministry emphasized once again that the matter had been adequately discussed by the two sides’ militaries. “My understanding is that there have been adequate deliberations between South Korean and American military officials and that these matters have been adequately communicated and shared by South Korean government ministries,” said Defense Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Lee Jin-woo, a colonel in the army, during the briefing on Thursday. On Oct. 9, Vincent Brooks, commander of US Forces Korea as well as the UN Command, visited Arrowhead Hill inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where work is underway to remove mines. “This effort to clear a route to the historic Arrowhead [Hwasalmeori] Hill has my full support,” Brooks said. By Kim Ji-eun, Kim Bo-hyeop and Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporters Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
