Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered this statement in Washington, DC

Secretary Clinton. The UN Security Council's condemnation of North Korea's attack on the South Korean ship Cheonan sends a clear message that such irresponsible and provocative behavior is a threat to peace and security in the region and will not be tolerated. Attacks on the Republic of Korea are unacceptable and the United States joins the Security Council in calling for North Korea to uphold the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Today's Security Council action underscores the unity of the international community and the reality that a peaceful resolution of the issues on the Korean Peninsula will only be possible if North Korea fundamentally changes its behavior. It must comply with international law and obligations, live up to its commitments in the Six-Party Joint Statement of 2005, and refrain from provocative behavior.

The commitment of the United States to South Korea's security and sovereignty is unwavering. Later this month, I will travel to Seoul for further consultations with our South Korean allies. We applaud the Republic of Korea's careful handling of this situation and we join the Security Council in again expressing our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this tragic attack.

Secretary Robert Gates delivered these remarks while at Camp Casey, South Korea

Secretary Gates. I'm back in Korea again this week for a unique event. A few months ago, President Obama and President Lee agreed for the first time to have a meeting here in Seoul, in Seoul of the two countries’ foreign ministers and defense ministers. And so we will have the first Two-plus-Two meeting tomorrow, dealing with a whole range of issues affecting our relationship and figuring out how to take this relationship further in the future.

We'll cover a bunch of issues, including how to implement the recent decision to adjust OPCON transition to 2015, what we know will call “strategic alliance 2015.” We were scheduled to transfer in April of 2012, but at the request of the Korean government, we agreed to slide the date to 2015 and also make the relationship more robust in terms of exercises, command and control, capabilities, and so on.

I continue to believe that the Koreans are fully capable and a professional military ready to lead the combined defense. But I think this additional time will allow us to make the eventual transfer more wide-ranging and more synchronized and ultimately better for the alliance.

Although these changes and meetings were scheduled long before the Cheonan tragedy, that attack and our collective efforts to prevent another one will certainly also be a part of our bilateral discussions this week. And in fact, I'll go from here to a meeting in Seoul with Defense Minister Kim, where we will continue our close coordination on a series of military exercises that we've scheduled over the next several months. These exercises, above all in the East and West seas—what we would call Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea—some of you may well be participating in and are designed to enhance our interoperability and readiness. But it's also a strong sign of deterrence or signal of deterrence to the North.

And then tomorrow, Secretary Clinton and I, along with our Korean counterparts, will visit the DMZ to highlight how important operations are there to the security of the peninsula as well as the region, and demonstrate our steadfast commitment to the ROK.

As you probably know, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. relationship. The incredible prosperity, freedom, and vitality you see outside the gates of this camp and throughout the South are the result of a steep price paid in blood and treasure by both the United States and Korea and our other allies.

And although you're far from home and not as much in the headline as what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, I just want you to know we do appreciate your sacrifice here, but also to tell you your vigilance is exceptionally important in one of the most volatile parts of the world.

So on behalf of the president and the American people, I want to look you in the eye and thank you for your continued service.

Secretary Hillary Clinton, Secretary Robert Gates, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, and Korean Minister Kim Tae-Young delivered these remarks in Seoul, South Korea

Foreign Minister Yu. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Let me start by welcoming once again Secretary Clinton and Secretary Gates on their visit to Seoul to attend the ROK-U.S. foreign and defense ministers meeting.

As all of you know, today's meeting is being held on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, in accordance with a joint decision by President Lee and President Obama last November, and marks the first of its kind between the ROK and the U.S. Given the special significance of today's gathering, the four of us visited the joint security area at Panmunjom Village this morning. We were reminded of the hard reality of a divided Korea, and that the ROK-U.S. alliance will continue to remain vital in deterring war and maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Later in the day, we visited the War Memorial to honor the selfless sacrifice of the fallen men and women of the Republic of Korea and the United States, as well as those of the United Nations in the service of freedom and peace during the Korean War, and the sailors who perished with Cheonan. These visits have allowed us to reflect upon the noble foundations of our blood-forged alliance.

At today's meeting, we have praised the successful development of the ROK-U.S. alliance over the last six decades, and held far-reaching and in-depth consultations on topics of mutual interest and major issues such as our security commitment, and strengthening of the alliance, North Korea, as well as regional and global cooperation. We also reaffirmed the robust commitment and strong desire of both our governments to promote the future (inaudible) of our alliance.

First of all, we share the view that over the last 60 years the ROK-U.S. alliance has been effectively deterring North Korea's military threat, playing a vital role in supporting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, and evolving into the most successful alliance relationship. We also decided to actively pursue the development of a strategic ROK-U.S. alliance of the 21st century, based on the joint vision agreed to by our two presidents in June 2009.

In addition, both sides reaffirmed the robust security commitment and firm readiness posture of our two countries. We were also briefed on the progress being made in the consultations between our defense authorities for implementing the adjustment of the timing of wartime OPCON transition, pursuant to the agreement by our two leaders several weeks ago, and directed that the final plan be produced by the ROK-U.S. security consultative meeting this October.

With regard to the Cheonan incident, we concurred that such armed provocation by North Korea poses serious threats to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and in Northeast Asia, and that the UN Security Council Presidential Statement was highly significant, in that it represented the unified voice of the international community in condemning North Korea's attack, and stressed the importance of preventing further provocations, and welcomed the close ROK-U.S. coordination.

Furthermore, we were in full accord that North Korea should accept stern international demands for it to take responsibility, and refrain from engaging in further provocations, and that otherwise there will be serious consequences.

Also, we approved the plan for holding a series of combined ROK-U.S. military exercises, including combined naval and other exercises, which was officially announced at yesterday's defense ministers meeting. In particular, we made clear that these exercises are aimed at deterring war, and maintaining peace on the Peninsula, and to ensure that they unmistakably demonstrate the firm resolve of the ROK-U.S. alliance in the face of North Korea's military provocation.

In addition, both sides acknowledge the close bilateral cooperation regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, and urge North Korea to carry out the complete and verifiable abandonment of all its nuclear programs in pursuit of nuclear weapons, and demonstrate through concrete actions its (inaudible) to denuclearize.

Moreover, through today's consultations, both sides concurred that the ROK-U.S. alliance is emerging as a global partnership contributing to addressing regional and global challenges beyond the Korean Peninsula, and acknowledged our close bilateral cooperation on reconstruction and stabilization in such places as Afghanistan and Haiti, as well as with regard to the G20 summit and the nuclear security summit.

What is more, the two sides pledged to work actively together towards ratification of the KORUS FTA, based on the strong commitment and decision of our two leaders at their joint meeting in Toronto.

Lastly, both sides noted that today's meeting was very productive and useful in furthering the development of a strategic ROK-U.S. alliance, and decided to consider holding further foreign and defense ministers meetings, as necessary.

We also agreed to continue strengthening political cooperation and coordination through ROK-U.S. foreign and defense officials meetings at the deputy minister-assistant secretary level.

Secretary Clinton. Thank you. It is a pleasure to be in Seoul again for the first-ever 2+2 meeting between Korea and the United States. And I want to thank Foreign Minister Yu and Defense Minister Kim for their hospitality and the substantive discussions.

Secretary Gates and I are here, in part, to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. This morning we visited the DMZ and the War Memorial, powerful reminders of our shared history. The people of South Korea and the United States have stood together for six decades, through the struggle of war and an uneasy peace, through a transition to democracy and open markets that have transformed life for millions.

A cornerstone of our alliance is our commitment to South Korea's security and sovereignty, which we have demonstrated in the face of North Korea's latest provocation. We have consulted closely throughout this process, and worked together to secure a unanimous United Nations Security Council statement condemning the sinking of the Cheonan. And today I am announcing a series of measures to increase our ability to prevent North Korea's proliferation, to halt their illicit activities that help fund their weapons programs, and to discourage further provocative actions.

First, we will implement new country-specific sanctions aimed at North Korea's sale and procurement of arms and related materiel, and the procurement of luxury goods and other illicit activities. These new measures will strengthen our enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874. And they also provide new authorities to target illicit North Korean activities.

In addition to these new measures, we will expand and strengthen our work under existing authorities to identify pressure and put out of business North Korean entities involved in proliferation and other illicit practices overseas. This intensified effort includes, among others: additional State and Treasury designations of entities and individuals supporting proliferation, subjecting them to an asset freeze, new efforts with key governments to stop the DPRK trading companies engaged in illicit activities from operating in countries, and prevent the banks of other countries from facilitating these illicit transactions; expanded cooperation globally to prevent the travel of individuals designated under Security Council resolutions, as well as other key North Korean proliferators; greater emphasis on North Korea's repeated abuse of its diplomatic privileges, in order to engage in activities banned by the Security Council. And, finally, we will press countries not to purchase banned items from North Korea, or to sell North Korea proliferation-related goods.

All of this builds on our efforts to enforce vigorously resolutions 1718 and 1874, and our cooperation through the proliferation security initiative. My special advisor for non-proliferation and arms control, Robert Einhorn, will coordinate U.S. efforts and will travel to the region soon to consult on sanctions implementations with South Korea and other allies and partners.

Let me stress that these measures are not directed at the people of North Korea, who have suffered too long, due to the misguided and maligned priorities of their government. They are directed at the destabilizing, illicit, and provocative policies pursued by that government. From the beginning of the Obama Administration, we have made clear that there is a path open to the DPRK to achieve the security and international respect it seeks. North Korea can halt its provocative behavior, its threats and belligerence towards its neighbors, take irreversible steps to fulfill its denuclearization commitments, and comply with international law. And if North Korea chooses that path, sanctions will be lifted, energy and other economic assistance will be provided, its relations with the United States will be normalized, and the current armistice on the Peninsula will be replaced by a permanent peace agreement. But as long as the North Korean leadership takes a different choice, continuing defiance, provocation, and belligerence, it will continue to suffer the consequences.

Secretary Gates and I had a good talk on a range of other issues with the foreign minister and defense minister. I will leave it to Secretary Gates to discuss our ongoing military-to-military cooperation and other related matters, including our agreement to transfer operational control for alliance activities in 2015. But I want to emphasize that every step we take, every diplomatic effort and joint military exercise is aimed at strengthening our alliance, upholding our commitments, and promoting peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, across the region, and increasingly, around the world.

I applaud South Korea's contributions to peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, and its efforts in Afghanistan, its generous support for the people of Haiti, its commitment to triple official development assistance by 2015, and its upcoming role as host of the G20 later this year, and the nuclear security summit in 2012. South Korea is a responsible and dynamic partner on the world stage, helping to solve shared problems, and promoting broader security and prosperity. This is a testament to President Lee's plan for a global Korea, and to the 2009 joint vision statement put out by both President Obama and President Lee.

We also reaffirmed a central pillar of our relationship: our commitment to the KORUS Free Trade Agreement. This agreement will benefit the people of both our countries, boosting commerce, growing our economies, creating good-paying jobs. We are working to resolve the outstanding issues, including leveling the playing field for U.S. workers and producers in key sectors of autos and beef, and we expect intensive discussions in the months ahead.

South Korea is already America's seventh largest trading partner, with two-way trade and goods alone reaching nearly $70 billion last year. And we believe this is only the beginning of our shared economic potential. As President Obama said at the G20 recently, we are committed to getting the free trade agreement passed.

So, again, let me thank our hosts, and I look forward to continuing our work in the days and months ahead.

Q. First, my question is for Minister Yu. I read the joint statement, and I assume that you must have had in-depth discussions during the actual meeting. The focus, I believe, is perhaps finalizing positions on future policies on North Korea on the part of both the ROK and U.S. Some say that today's meeting should serve as the occasion to start reviewing an exit strategy on the Cheonan incident by way of the Six-Party Talks. Other say that such is too early. I believe that, in the long run, a review on an exit strategy is the right way to go. To what extent has this topic been addressed during the meeting?

More specifically, if the Cheonan incident is seen to be settled for the time being with the UNSC Presidential Statement, how much longer do you think the pressure measures against North Korea announced on the—on May 24th will go on?

Foreign Minister Yu. Yes. During the 2+2 ministers meeting, in the aftermath of the Cheonan incident, we talked about policy coordination between ROK and the U.S. With regard to the Cheonan incident specifically, we urge North Korea to quickly admit to its responsibility and offer an apology, and also promise to prevent further similar provocations from occurring. And we will coordinate all efforts to that end.

North Korea, to date, has been saying that it will not come to the Six-Party Talks table. So discussing that topic and talking about denuclearization at the Six-Party Talks should come after the peace agreement, as requested by North Korea. And we need to discuss on—a playing field. And they also asked us to eliminate UN resolution 1718 and 1874, and North Korea has made other series of requests.

And some out there talk about an exit strategy with regard to Cheonan incident. But our view is that it is not a ripe time for such an exit strategy at this time.

And another point is that at the UNSC presently we are coordinating efforts between the ROK and the U.S. And, as a result of that effort, the Presidential Statement has been released. And the ROK-U.S. joint civilian military investigation group has identified that North Korea has played a part in the Cheonan incident, and the statement strongly condemns the provocations of the North Korea. So we have to put that into context.

And we have the May 24th measures announced by the Korean Government, and our North Korean policies should continue on that front. Thank you.

Q. And is this a return to the strategy that we saw before, such as targeting Banco Delta Asia, where we're really trying to hit North Korea in the pocketbook? Thank you.

Secretary Clinton. We have a three-part strategy for dealing with North Korea. We are intensively engaged in diplomatic efforts with our allies and partners like the Republic of Korea and Japan, all of the other members of the Six-Party framework, as well as the United Nations, through the Security Council. And the results of those efforts in the last 18 months have led to resolution 1874, which are the toughest general set of sanctions that have been imposed on North Korea, which we think has had an effect.

Secondly, we engage in strengthening our alliance with South Korea, and our efforts of deterrence, which will be evidenced by the military exercises in the coming weeks. The very clear message that the United States stands to defend the security and sovereignty of South Korea is unmistakable.

And then, finally, we are aiming very specifically, after much intensive research built on what was done before—but not limited to that—to target the leadership, to target their assets. As you recall several years ago, we did get some action from the North Koreans as a result of the steps that were taken at that time. And intensive efforts by the State Department and Treasury Department to identify the activities and the individuals who we think deserve such sanctioning, and who themselves are either part of the leadership or can influence the leadership is what is contained in this next set of pressure.

Q. Hi. My first question is for Mrs. Clinton and related to Gates. Last month in China you had a lot of discussions with the Chinese about North Korea. And we had the impression that the Chinese would be taking a tough position on the North Korea situation, and possibly inviting Mr. Gates to Beijing. Are you disappointed with the Chinese position so far on North Korea? And what message will you be bringing to them in Hanoi at the regional forum?

And for Minister Yu, a lot of discussion today has been about North Korea's nuclear program. But South Korea is going to be beginning new negotiations with the U.S. on its civilian nuclear cooperation agreement. What is the status of negotiations, and do you see any problems coming to a conclusion with the U.S. on South Korea's hopes to reprocess its own nuclear fuel? Thank you.

Secretary Gates. Let me begin from the U.S. standpoint. First of all, I would have to say that—and I would defer to Secretary Clinton on this—but I think it was important that China voted for the Presidential Statement at the UN, thereby allowing a unanimous vote that everybody recognized was a condemnation of North Korea's provocation.

I continue to believe that an open and growing dialogue, military-to-military, between the United States and China is in the best interests of both countries. President Hu and President Obama agreed to this in their meeting last year. Obviously, we were disappointed that the ministry of defense postponed the visit, withdrew the invitation, however you want to characterize it. But I think we have to look to the future. And I would say that I remain open to rebuilding and strengthening the military-to-military dialogue between the United States and China, because I think it can play an important role in preventing miscalculations and misunderstandings.

And so, I look forward to that. We will see. We are obviously concerned by some of the things China has said, some of the things China is doing in the military arena. They are worrying. But that's all the more reason to open this dialogue.

Foreign Minister Yu. Regarding the ROK-U.S. agreement for cooperation and civil uses of atomic energy, actually it's been almost for 40 years. This agreement will expire in 2014. And the agreement has laid a foundation for developing the atomic energy industry of Korea to the level that it is today.

Going forward in order for us to respond to climate change, we believe that the peaceful use of atomic energy is a necessary for us. Therefore, based on the changed circumstances in environment, to support the foundation of our atomic energy industry, we will find a way to revise this agreement. But other than the peaceful use of this energy, the—when it comes to the military use, we are completely opposed to this idea. And Korea is at the forefront of leading the non-proliferation initiative of the international community. And that is our government's policy, as well. Therefore, the revision of this agreement will consider the use in the civil areas and the commercial application. That will be the basic direction of the revision.

Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered this statement at the DMZ in Panmunjom, Korea

Secretary Gates. This is my third visit to the demilitarized zone and the observation tower. Looking out across the DMZ, it is stunning how little has changed up there and yet how much South Korea continues to grow and prosper. The North, by contrast, stagnates in isolation and deprivation. And as we saw with the sinking of the Cheonan, it continues its history of unpredictable and, at times, provocative behavior.

So we are here today not just to show our appreciation for the vital work U.S., ROK, and other forces do maintaining the armistice, but, also, to send a strong signal to the North, to the region, and to the world that our commitment to South Korea's security is steadfast. In fact, our military alliance has never been stronger and it should deter any potential aggressor.

Secretary Clinton. This is my first visit to the DMZ, to Freedom House, to the UN Armistice Headquarters.

And as we were at the Observation Post looking out at what is a thin, 3-mile separation between the North and the South, it struck me that although it may be a thin line, these two places are worlds apart.

The Republic of Korea has made extraordinary progress. It has leaders who care about he well-being of the people. It has an economy that is growing and creating jobs and opportunities. It has a commitment to common values of democracy and freedom.

By contrast, the North has not only stagnated in isolation, but the people of the North have suffered for so many years.

I am grateful to the men and women from the Republic of Korea, the United States of America and the multinational force, who today are standing watch for freedom and who are in a long line of those who came before over the last six decades, who have helped to protect South Korea.

At the same time we continue to send a message to the North. There is another way. There is a way that can benefit the people of the North.

But until they change direction, the United States stands firmly on behalf of the people and government of the Republic of Korea, where we provide a stalwart defense along with our allies and partners.