AJC Delegation Concludes Visit to Seoul

An 11-member AJC leadership delegation just concluded a two-day visit to the Republic of Korea's capital.

The group, led by AJC President Stanley Bergman and Executive Director David Harris, met with, among others, Deputy Prime Minister Hwang Woo-yea, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-young, former Prime Minister Lee Hong-Koo, and other senior Foreign Ministry officials. The delegation also held private meetings with Israeli Ambassador Uri Gutman and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Marc Knapper.

Principal topics discussed during the visit included: (a) Korean-Israeli and Korean-U.S. bilateral ties, including President Park's visit to Washington, which was taking place while the AJC group was in Seoul; (b) regional developments in Northeast Asia, including prospects for relations between North Korea and South Korea; (c) ongoing challenges in the Middle East; and (d) North Korea's egregious human rights violations, which have been highlighted at the United Nations by AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights.

“Our visit to Seoul only reinforced our respect for the nation's democratic spirit, economic vitality, and strategic resilience,” said Harris. “Moreover, in our meetings, we welcomed the deepening link between Seoul and Jerusalem, which have so much to offer one another in many spheres, as well, of course, as the expansive and essential relationship between the U.S. and South Korea.”

The visit featured a nearly three-hour visit to the prestigious Asan Institute for Policy Studies, South Korea's preeminent foreign policy think tank. Dr. Hahm Chaibong, President of the Institute, hosted the group for an AJC presentation and discussion, which included several diplomats, including from Arab countries, and policy experts. AJC is now hosting a second Asan fellow in its Washington, D.C., office.

In an effort to better understand South Korea's significant security challenges, the group traveled to the Demilitarized Zone at the country's northern border, where they visited the Joint Security Area, Dora Observatory, and Infiltration Tunnel Number 3.

AJC has been actively engaged with South Korea for many years, and maintains close ties with Korean officials and other representatives in Seoul, across the United States, in Israel, and elsewhere through its Asia Pacific Institute. The Institute is chaired by Jeffrey Stone and directed by Shira Loewenberg, both of whom were part of the delegation in Seoul.