Remarks by President Obama and President Lee of the
Republic of Korea
in a Joint Press Conference
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Washington DC
White House East Room
12:22 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Please, everybody have a seat. Good afternoon. Once
again, it is a great honor to welcome my good friend and partner, President Lee,
back to the White House. We had a wonderful dinner last night at one of our
outstanding local Korean restaurants. Michelle and I are looking forward to
hosting the President and First Lady Kim at tonight’s state dinner. And today
President Lee will address Congress -- a high honor reserved for America’s
closest friends.
This state visit reflects the fact that the Republic of Korea is one of our
strongest allies. Because we’ve stood together, the people of South Korea, from
the ruins of war, were able to build an economic miracle and become one of our
largest trading partners, creating jobs and opportunity for both our peoples.
Because we stood together, South Koreans were able to build a strong and
thriving democracy and become a steady partner in preserving security and
freedom not only on the Korean peninsula, but beyond.
As I said this morning, this visit also recognizes South Korea’s emergence as
one of our key global partners. South Koreans have served bravely with us in
Afghanistan and Iraq. South Korean forces have partnered with us to prevent
piracy off the shores of Africa and stem the spread of weapons of mass
destruction. Once a recipient of aid, South Korea has become a donor nation,
supporting development from Asia to Africa. And under President’s personal
leadership, Seoul served as host to the G20 summit last year and will host the
next Nuclear Security Summit next year.
South Korea’s success is a tribute to the sacrifices and tenacity of the
Korean people. It’s also a tribute to the vision and commitment of President
Lee.
Mr. President, you have shown how the international community should work in
the 21st century -- more nations bearing the responsibility of meeting global
challenges. In the face of unprovoked attacks on your citizens, you and the
South Korean people have shown extraordinary strength, restraint and
resolve.
And I'd add that in all of our dealings, President Lee has shared my focus on
what matters most -- the security and prosperity of our citizens. And that,
again, has been our focus today.
We agreed to move ahead quickly with the landmark trade agreement that
Congress passed last night -- and which I’ll sign in the coming days. It’s a
win for both our countries. For our farmers and ranchers here in the United
States, it will increase exports of agricultural products. From aerospace to
electronics, it will increase American manufacturing exports, including those
produced by our small businesses. It will open Korea’s lucrative services
market, and I’m very pleased that it will help level the playing field for
American automakers.
As a former executive, President Lee will understand when I say that just as
Americans buy Hyundais and Kias, I hope that South Koreans will buy more Fords,
Chryslers and Chevys. And tomorrow, President Lee and I will be visiting with
autoworkers in Michigan -- some of the many Americans who are going to benefit
from this agreement.
In short, this agreement will boost American exports by up to $11 billion and
support some 70,000 American jobs. It has groundbreaking protections for labor
rights, the environment and intellectual property -- so that trade is free and
fair. It will promote green jobs and clean energy, another area where we’re
deepening our cooperation. And it keeps us on track to achieve my goals of
doubling American exports.
So, President Lee, I thank you for your partnership in getting this deal
done, a deal that will also be good for Korean businesses and Korean jobs. I
look forward to working with you to bring it into force as quickly as
possible.
As we expand our economic cooperation, we’re also deepening our security
cooperation. Guided by our joint vision for the alliance, we agreed to continue
strengthening our capabilities to deter any threat. I can never say it enough:
The commitment of the United States to the defense and security of the Republic
of Korea will never waver. And as we have for decades, the United States will
maintain our strong presence in the Asia Pacific, which is a foundation for
security and prosperity in Asia in the 21st century.
In this regard, we discussed North Korea, which continues to pose a direct
threat to the security of both our nations. On this, President Lee [and I] are
entirely united. Together, we've succeeded in changing the equation with the
North, by showing that its provocations will be met -- not with rewards but with
even stronger sanctions and isolation. So the choice is clear for North Korea.
If Pyongyang continues to ignore its international obligations, it will invite
even more pressure and isolation. If the North abandons its quest for nuclear
weapons and moves toward denuclearization, it will enjoy greater security and
opportunity for its people. That's the choice that North Korea faces.
Given the global nature of alliances, President Lee and I discussed the full
range of challenges to our security and prosperity. I thanked the President for
South Korea’s continued support for reconstruction in Afghanistan and I updated
him on the transition that is underway towards full Afghan responsibility for
security. We agreed to continue our support for democratic transitions in the
Middle East and North Africa, including Libya.
We’ve agreed to coordinate more closely on the development that lifts -- that
can lift people and nations out of poverty. I appreciated hearing the
President’s plans for next year’s Nuclear Security Summit, which I look forward
to attending. And as we approach the G20 and APEC summits next month, we agreed
on the need for coordinated global action that focuses on growth and creates
jobs for our workers.
Finally, we’re strengthening the ties between our people. South Korea is one
of the top sources of international students studying in the United States. And
the number of American students who are studying in Korea has been soaring. So
we’ve directed our teams to sustain this momentum and expand educational
exchanges between our people -- not unlike the one that once brought a visiting
scholar named Lee Myung-bak to an American university just blocks from here.
So, again, Mr. President, I thank you for your partnership and your
friendship. And because of the progress we’ve made today, I’m confident that
your visit will mark a turning point in the enduring alliance between our two
nations.
Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT LEE: (As interpreted.) Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, I
thank President Obama again for inviting me to make a state visit to the United
States. My thanks goes out to the Madam First Lady as well. I am pleased to
have had the chance to reaffirm once again the strong partnership and friendship
between our two countries.
I met with President Obama six times over the last three years. Our meetings
were always constructive, allowing us to reaffirm the strength of our alliance,
an alliance that is firmly based upon shared values and mutual trust. This
alliance guarantees peace, stability and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, the
Asia Pacific region and beyond. We will continue to strengthen what is already
a powerful and far-reaching alliance.
I was privileged to have spent many hours with President Obama during my
visit to Washington, D.C. this time, discussing and sharing views on a wide
array of issues, such as security on the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asia
region; trade and economic cooperation between our two countries; situation in
the Middle East, including what is unfolding in Libya; various international
security issues; and, of course, the global economy and the challenges that we
face today.
In particular, we welcome the ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement by the United States Congress. I am confident that the Korea National
Assembly will soon ratify this very important agreement in the near future.
I take this opportunity to sincerely thank President Obama, the congressional
leadership and the members of Congress, for their support and commitment. The
Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement is a historic achievement that will become a
significant milestone in our 130-year relationship. It is a win-win agreement
that will benefit both of our countries in countless ways. This agreement will
create more jobs, generate more trade, and stimulate our economies.
This free trade agreement will bring numerous benefits to our workers, our
companies, our small businesses and our consumers alike. Furthermore, mutual
investments will increase and our economic partnership will become stronger.
And the KORUS FTA will bring benefits beyond Korea and the United States. It
will be a gateway to enhancing ties between North America and Asia. It will
allow us to get ahead and stay ahead in the global markets.
As we all know, the global economy is undergoing many challenges. The
Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will demonstrate to the world that we can create
good-quality jobs and stimulate growth through open and fair trade. This is a
good example. The passage of the KORUS FTA has opened up a new chapter in our
partnership, in our alliance.
For the last 60 years we have maintained a strong political, military
alliance. Now the KORUS FTA signals the beginning of an economic alliance.
This alliance will strengthen and elevate our military and political alliance to
a whole new level. Our alliance is evolving into a future-oriented partnership
and it will become stronger.
When President Obama and I adopted a joint vision for the future of the
alliance in 2009, we agreed to expand the depth and scope of our strategic
alliance. Today, we reaffirmed our common commitment to a common future -- a
future of ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,
including the Northeast Asian region. Our alliance will continue to play a
pivotal role in overcoming the many global challenges that we face today.
Recently, we were deeply shocked when we read the reports on the attempt to
harm the Saudi envoy here in Washington D.C. I and the Korean people strongly
condemned all forms of terrorism. And as you can see already, our two countries
are working to bring peace and ensure stability around the world. We are
partners in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are safeguarding our vital sea lanes off
the coast of Somalia.
Today, we also talked about the rebuilding of Libya and bringing democracy
and economic prosperity to a region wracked by violence and instability. We
also agreed to continue our work towards promoting universal values such as
human rights, democracy and freedom across the world.
In particular, we agreed that Korea and the United States will contribute to
the economic development and administrative capacity-building in Libya, provide
vocational training for its young people, provide medical care, and rebuild and
reinvest in its infrastructure. We will coordinate our joint efforts with the
United Nations support mission in Libya and the Friends of Libya meetings, and
our international partners.
We also talked about the worrying state of the global economy and how to
overcome the perils that emanated from the eurozone. The situation in Europe is
a source of grave concern. We agreed to strengthen international cooperation
through the G20 so that the fiscal situation does not endanger the recovery of
our real economies. In particular, our two countries agreed to work together to
bring back stability to our financial markets similar to what we did back in
2008.
As we have done for the past three years, President Obama and I will remain
in complete agreement when dealing with North Korea. Our principled approach
will remain steadfast. We agreed that North Korea’s continued pursuit of
nuclear weapons poses a serious threat to peace and stability of the Korean
Peninsula and the world. We will continue to work towards denuclearization of
the peninsula.
The second Nuclear Security Summit will be held next March in Seoul. During
the summit, we will review the progress made since the first summit in 2010,
which was convened under the initiative of President Obama. The leaders will
have one goal, and that is to achieve our collective vision of a world free of
nuclear weapons.
I thank President Obama and his able team for giving us their full support in
the preparations of the summit, and, of course, we’ll continue to work with
them. And I look forward to welcoming President Obama and Mrs. Obama in Seoul
next year.
Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: All right. We’re going to start off with Ed Henry.
Where’s Ed?
Q Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate it.
President Lee, I wanted to start with you, one question each. First, when
you mentioned North Korea, what concrete steps do you think the Obama
administration has helped to contain Kim Jong Il?
And, President Obama, I wanted to get your first reaction to the Iranian
terror plot. Your Secretary of State called it a dangerous escalation. What
specific steps will you take to hold Iran accountable, especially when Mitt
Romney charged last week, “If you do not want America to be the strongest nation
on Earth, I am not your President -- you have that President today”?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I didn't know that you were the spokesperson for Mitt
Romney. (Laughter.) But let me just talk about the plot in particular. We
have a situation here where the Attorney General has laid out a very specific
set of facts. What we know is that an individual of Iranian-American descent
was involved in a plot to assassinate the ambassador to the United States from
Saudi Arabia. And we also know that he had direct links, was paid by and
directed by individuals in the Iranian government.
Now, those facts are there for all to see. And we would not be bringing
forward a case unless we knew exactly how to support all the allegations that
are contained in the indictment.
So we have contacted all our allies, the international community; we’ve laid
the facts before them. And we believe that after people have analyzed them,
there will not be a dispute that this is, in fact, what happened.
This is a -- not just a dangerous escalation; this is part of a pattern of
dangerous and reckless behavior by the Iranian government. One of the
principles of international behavior is that our diplomats -- we send them
around the world -- that they are going to be protected, they are not targets
for threats or physical violence. And for Iran to have been involved in a plot
like this indicates the degree to which it has been outside of accepted norms of
international behavior for far too long. This is just one example of a series
of steps that they’ve taken to create violence and to behave in a way that you
don’t see other countries doing.
So with respect to how we respond, our first step is to make sure that we
prosecute those individuals that have been named in the indictment. And I will
leave to the Attorney General the task of describing how that will proceed.
The second thing that we’re going to continue to do is to apply the toughest
sanctions and continue to mobilize the international community to make sure that
Iran is further and further isolated and that it pays a price for this kind of
behavior.
Keep in mind that when I came into office I think Iran saw itself as being
able to play various countries against each other and avoid the kind of
isolation that it deserved. Since that time, what we’ve seen, whether it
relates to its nuclear program or its state-sponsored terrorism, that more and
more countries have been willing to speak out in forceful ways, whether through
the United Nations or through other avenues, to say this is not acceptable
behavior. And it is having an impact. I mean, what we’ve seen is Iran’s
economy is in a much more difficult state now than it was several years ago, in
part because we’ve been able to unify the international community in naming
Iran’s misbehavior and saying that it's got to stop and there are going to be
consequences to its actions.
Now, we don’t take any options off the table in terms of how we operate with
Iran. But what you can expect is that we will continue to apply the sorts of
pressure that will have a direct impact on the Iranian government until it makes
a better choice in terms of how it’s going to interact with the rest of the
international community.
There is great similarity between how Iran operates and how North Korea
operates -- a willingness on their part to break international rules, to flout
international norms, to not live up to their own commitments. And each time
they do that the United States will join with its partners and allies in making
sure that they pay a price.
And I think that -- I have to emphasize that this plot was not simply
directed at the United States of America. This is a plot that was directed
against the Saudi ambassador. And I think that what you’re going to see is
folks throughout the Middle East region questioning their ability to work
effectively with Iran. This builds on the recognition within the region that
Iran in fact has been hypocritical when it comes to dealing with the Arab
Spring, given their own repressive activities inside their country, their
willingness to prop up the Syrian regime at a time when they’re killing their
own citizens.
This is a pattern of behavior that I think increasingly the
international community is going to consider out of bounds and is going to
continue to punish Iran for. Unfortunately, the Iranian people are the ones
that probably suffer the most from this regime’s behavior. And we will continue
to work to see how we can bring about a Iranian government that is actually
responsive to its people but also following the rules of the road that other
countries in the international community follow.
PRESIDENT LEE: (As interpreted.) Thank you. To answer your question about
North Korea, first of all, President Obama and I, for the last three years, we
have maintained very close cooperation and coordination when it comes to North
Korea policy. We have consistently applied our principled approach towards North
Korea.
For North Korea, the only way to ensure happiness for its people and to
embark on that path to development is to abandon its nuclear ambitions. And so
we have tried through peaceful means, through diplomatic means, to strongly urge
North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
And in this day and age, we realize that no single country can be effective
in achieving its diplomatic or economic aims on its own. We know that
cooperation is vital in order for a country to become a responsible member of
the international community, which is something that we want for North Korea.
And so we would, of course, want North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
And, of course, Korea and the United States will continue to consistently apply
a principled approach so that we can achieve our strategic objective.
And when it comes to cooperation between our two governments, we speak with
one voice, and we will continue to speak with one voice. And it was a chance
for me to reaffirm this today.
Q I know that President Lee is talking about a South Korea-North
Korea-Russia trilateral gas pipeline project. But North Korea is also under a
lot of sanctions from the international community and the United States and
other countries. But having said that, if this gas line project proceeds as
planned, then we would have to provide or compensate North Korea with a
substantial amount of money or other forms of compensation. So in your opinion,
President Lee, do you think that the gas line pipe project will be able to
proceed without resolving the North Korean nuclear issue?
PRESIDENT LEE: (As interpreted.) Yes, thank you. And I don't know if
that’s a question that I should be answering here in the United States, but
since you asked a question I will try to answer that.
In the Far East, we have been discussing this issue for quite some time in
trying to import Russian gas into the Republic of Korea. Now, we’re discussing,
right now with the North Koreans, whether the Russian gas -- which is quite
affordable -- can travel through North Korea and be imported and be used in
South Korea.
This is beneficial, first of all, for Russians because they can sell their
natural resource. For North Korea it is beneficial because they could use this
natural resource, and also beneficial for South Korea as well. But let me just
remind you that South Korea, North Korea and Russia haven’t yet come together to
discuss this issue in any detail. But from an economic standpoint of view, it
is beneficial for all parties involved. But I understand that this issue is not
just economics alone. This issue, inevitably, involves security matters, which
we will consider very closely.
And, also, let me remind you that this project will not be implemented
anytime soon. Of course we are mindful of the progress that we are making with
regards to the North Korean nuclear issue as well.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. First, briefly, to follow on Ed, if I may.
On the Iran alleged terror plot, do you have knowledge or do you believe that
the nation’s Supreme Leader and President had knowledge of the plot? And if so,
do you not see that as an act of war?
And, if I could turn to the economy, yesterday in a campaign video you said
that you will force Congress to take up individual pieces of the American Jobs
Act. Which pieces would you like to see them take up first? And given that, so
far, you’ve been unable to force Congress to do an up or down vote on entire
bill, and that new unemployment filings are not falling, why not, now, sit down
with members of Congress to see if you can’t reach compromise on something that
could pass now and create jobs quickly?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Okay. First of all, on the Iranian issue, the Attorney
General has put forward the facts with respect to the case, and I’m going to let
him comment on the details of those facts. What we can say is that there are
individuals in the Iranian government who are aware of this plot. And had it
not been for the outstanding intelligence work of our intelligence officials,
this plot could have gone forward and resulted not only in the death of the
Saudi ambassador, but also innocent civilians here in the United States.
We believe that even if at the highest levels there was not detailed
operational knowledge, there has to be accountability with respect to anybody in
the Iranian government engaging in this kind of activity.
And so we will continue the investigation. We will continue to put forward
all the facts that we have available to us. But the important thing is for Iran
to answer the international community why anybody in their government is
engaging in these kinds of activities -- which, as I indicated before, are I
think out of bounds for not just a country like Iran that historically has been
engaging in these kinds of activities, but violates basic principles of how
diplomats are dealt with for centuries.
Now, with respect to the jobs bill, I have said repeatedly that the single
most important thing we can do for the economy right now is put people back to
work right now. And we have put forward a jobs bill that independent economists
-- not my team, not my administration -- have said would grow the economy
substantially and put up to 1.9 million people back to work. These are proposals
that historically have been supported not just by Democrats, but also by
Republicans. As I’ve said as I’ve traveled around the country, I don’t know
when rebuilding our roads and bridges that are decaying suddenly became a
partisan issue.
And I was at a Jobs Council meeting up in Pittsburgh with CEOs from companies
across the board, many of whom have been traditional supporters of the Chamber
of Commerce and the Business Roundtable and other organizations that the
Republican Party has claimed a lot of support for. And they said, for example,
when it came to infrastructure this is something that anybody in Washington
should agree to.
The Republicans haven’t given a good answer as to why they have not agreed to
wanting to rebuild our roads and our bridges and our schools. They have not
given us a good reason as to why they don't want to put teachers back in the
classroom. And so what we’re going to do is we’re going to break each of these
bills apart. We’re going to say, let’s have a vote on putting teachers back in
the classroom. Let’s have a vote on rebuilding our infrastructure. Let’s have
a vote on making sure that we are keeping taxes low for small businesses and
businesses that are willing to hire veterans, provide tax breaks for further
investment that can create jobs. And each time we’re going to ask Republicans
to support the bill. And if they don't want to support the bill, they’ve got to
answer not just to us, but also the American people as to why they wouldn’t.
Now, I think this trade deal that we just passed -- the Korea Free Trade Act
-- shows that we are happy to work with Republicans where they are willing to
put politics behind the interest of the American people and come up with
proposals that are actually going to create jobs. The Korea Free Trade Act we
believe will create up to 70,000 jobs. It’s a good deal. We got good, strong
bipartisan support.
Frankly, we have not seen a lot of ideas coming forward from Republicans that
would indicate that same kind of commitment to job creation. If they do -- if
Senator McConnell or Speaker Boehner say to me, you know what, we want to get
some infrastructure built in this country, we think that putting construction
workers back to work is important -- I’ll be right there. We’ll be ready to
go. If they are willing to renew the payroll tax as we worked on together in
December, I’ll be ready to go.
I don’t think the problem here, Jessica, is that I have not been unwilling to
negotiate with Republicans. I've shown repeatedly my willingness to work
overtime to try to get them to do something to deal with this high unemployment
rate. What we haven’t seen is a similar willingness on their part to try to get
something done. And we’re not going to wait around and play the usual political
games here in Washington, because the American people are desperate for some
relief right now.
Q Will you invite them to the White House to negotiate on the jobs
bill?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think that anytime and anyplace that they are serious
about working on putting people back to work we’ll be prepared to work with
them. But we’re not going to create a lot of theater that then results in them
engaging in the usual political talking points but don’t result in action.
People want action. And I’m prepared to work with them. But, again, the last
time I was here at a press conference I said -- I asked you guys to show us the
Republican jobs plan that independent economists would indicate would actually
put people back to work. I haven’t yet seen it. And so, eventually, I’m hoping
that they actually put forward some proposals that indicate that they feel that
sense of urgency about people -- needing to put people back to work right
now.
All right, Jessica, you can’t have four follow-ups. One is good.
Q I have two questions to President Obama. Yesterday, U.S. Congress
ratified the Korea-U.S. FTA. But Korean National Assembly didn’t pass it yet.
And Korean opposition party is requesting renegotiation on the FTA. What is
your opinion and prospect on the future of the Korea-U.S. FTA?
And my second question is about Libya and North Korea. In Libya, there was a
people’s uprising and they changed their government. And do you think such an
event will be possible in North Korea in the near future? Thank you.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, President Lee assures me that the KORUS
FTA will pass through the National Assembly. I have great confidence in his
leadership, and my expectation is that it will get done -- because it’s good for
both countries. And businesses will be able to prosper here in the United
States as a consequence of lowering many of these trade barriers; the same will
be true in Korea. Our workers will benefit, and we can learn from each other.
And I think this is one more sign of the close cooperation and friendship
between our two peoples.
You’re absolutely right that what we’ve seen in the Arab Spring -- in Libya,
in Tunisia, in Egypt -- is this deep longing on the part of people for freedom
and opportunity. And although the path from dictatorship to democracy is always
uncertain and fraught with danger, what we’ve seen also is that human spirit
eventually will defeat repressive governments.
So I don’t want to predict when that might happen. I think that obviously
the people of North Korea have been suffering under repressive policies for a
very long time, and none of us can look at a crystal ball and know when suddenly
that type of government collapses on itself.
What we know, though, is, is that what people everywhere -- whether it’s in
Korea or the United States or Libya or Africa -- what people everywhere are
looking for is the ability to determine their own destiny; to know that if they
work hard that they will be able to be rewarded; that they can speak their mind,
they can practice their religion in freedom; that they can enjoy the free flow
of information that increasingly characterizes the 21st century. And I don’t
think that the people of North Korea are any exception.
And I think when they see the extraordinary success and progress that’s been
made in South Korea, I think, inevitably, that leads them to recognize that a
system of markets and democracy and freedom is going to give their children and
their grandchildren more opportunity than the system that they’re currently
under.
All right, thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)
END
1:00 P.M. EDT
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