Kurt Campbell [Photo=Capture of Senate Foreign Affairs Committee broadcast]
Kurt Campbell, the U.S. Secretary of State nominee, expressed concerns on the 7th (local time) about North Korea’s lack of interest in diplomacy with the U.S. under the current circumstances.
Campbell, the nominee Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council (NSC), said during the day’s confirmation hearing, “This implies that we need to focus more on deterrence.”
Campbell stated, “The only constructive diplomatic engagement the U.S. has had with North Korea was the summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. After this summit fell apart, North Korea rejected all the U.S.’s efforts to contact them.” He added, “We even had difficulty sending a letter or meeting someone to respond to our approach to North Korea.”
The remarks by nominee Campbell came in response to a question from Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, who remarked, ‘North Korea’s policies over multiple administrations have proven ineffective.’ North Korea recently claimed to have captured images of the White House and the Department of Defense through reconnaissance satellites.
Candidate Campbell expressed concern, stating, ”I am worried about North Korea continuing to develop long-range missiles and nuclear capabilities, not only in the region but also in ways that pose a threat to the United States.” He added, ”I am also concerned about North Korea taking dangerous actions, such as providing military equipment, about Russia.”
Regarding China’s push to resume the China-Japan-Korea summit, Campbell stated, “I am confident that China will fail to build a level of trust with Japan and Korea comparable to the U.S.”
He emphasized that “it is most important whether Japan and Korea can focus on the future, such as energy, technology, security, human relations, and education, by putting their fundamental antagonism behind them in changing the security structure of Asia. This is something that China is also aware of, and it is our goal.” He added, “We believe it is in the interest of the U.S. to publicly praise the courage shown by Japan and Korea (regarding historical issues, etc.). They need to know that we support them at all possible levels.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Campbell emphasized, “China claims to be an independent actor not taking anyone’s side, but China has chosen a side (Russia).” He added, “The reason the U.S. needs to commit to Ukraine is because dictators learn lessons from the experiences of other dictators.”
By. Ju Hye Yoon
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