Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
US apologizes for anthrax case
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, left, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, center, and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo hold hands before their talks on the sidelines of the 14th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore, Saturday.
By Jun Ji-hye
Japan vows to seek approval before military activities on peninsula
By Jun Ji-hye
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made an official apology Saturday after a live anthrax sample was mistakenly shipped to a U.S. military lab in South Korea.
During talks with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo in Singapore, Carter also promised to share information with Seoul about an ongoing investigation into the incident and hold responsible those involved in the inadvertent delivery of the hazardous material from the United States, according to Seoul officials.
"Carter extended his apology to Minister Han for the incident and vowed to take appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence," an official at Seoul's Ministry of National Defense told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The two defense chiefs met on the sidelines of the 14th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual gathering of defense officials and experts in the Asia-Pacific region.
The allies agreed the previous day to include the issue of the mistaken shipment in discussions of wide-ranging topics between Han and Carter amid a growing controversy over the matter in Seoul.
According to the Pentagon, live samples of anthrax were accidentally sent to states across the country as well as to the U.S. Forces Korea's (USFK) Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, for tests. 22 lab personnel may have been exposed at Osan, but none had shown any symptoms of infection, the USFK said.
An hour before the bilateral talks between Seoul and Washington, the defense chiefs of South Korea, U.S. and Japan had a tripartite discussion at which they agreed to work more closely to deal with growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
The three ministers "re-emphasized their immutable opposition to North Korea's possession and continued development of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery," vowing to "closely coordinate with the international community to deter North Korean provocations," according to a joint statement.
The statement stressed that the North's nuclear programs were "a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," and ministers highly valued the trilateral arrangement, signed in December, aimed at sharing sensitive intelligence on nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang.
Before the three-way talks, Minister Han separately met with his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, who vowed not to send troops to the Korean Peninsula even for a contingency without a request or consent from Seoul.
"It is Japan's policy that our self-defense force launches military actions in other countries' territory only after getting consent from the countries concerned in any circumstances, in accordance with international law, and South Korean cannot be an exception," Nakatani was quoted as telling Han.
It was the first meeting between Seoul and Tokyo's defense chiefs in four years amid strained relations between the neighbors over historical issues.
A Seoul official noted that Han and Nakatani agreed to conduct in-depth working-level discussions regarding Japan's exercise of the right to collective self-defense ― the use of force to support an ally under attack ― on Korean territory.
The agreement came amid mounting concerns that Japan might misuse or abuse military power on and near South Korean territory after Washington and Tokyo revised the 1997 U.S.-Japan defense cooperation pact on April 28.
The revision expanded the role of Japan's Self-Defense Forces globally to help the U.S. and other allies if they come under attack.
Han told Nakatani: "Tokyo can never exercise the right to collective self-defense, which would affect Seoul's national security and interest, without prior approval from Seoul."
On Sunday, Han met with Adm. Sun Jianguo, China’s deputy chief of the general staff department, who expressed concern over the possible deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula, a Seoul official who attended the meeting noted.
The concerns come amid mounting speculation here over the U.S. desire to introduce THAAD ostensibly to better deter North Korean threats, but allegedly to hold China and Russia in check.
In response, Han was quoted as saying that the South Korean government “will judge and make a decision on the matter, putting a priority on our own national interest.”
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