House International Relations Committee Chairman Praises Vershbow, Drops Not-Very-Subtle Signal to ROK Government

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow recently drew some shrill responses from North Korea and its friends in the South for calling the North a “criminal regime” when commenting on the latter’s counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The ambassador may create a degree of discomfort in the South Korean government, but he’s certainly doing a far better job of carrying the American message than his predecessors. In the process, he’s won some fans, and not just on this blog.

All emphasis mine.

The Honorable Alexander R. Vershbow
American Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Embassy of the United States
Unit 15550
APO AP 96205-5550

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

I wish to extend Holiday greetings to you and your hard-working staff, both American and Korean, at our Embassy in Seoul. As we celebrate this season of peace prior to the coming of the New Year, it is important to recall how you and your exceptional diplomatic staff, as well as the valiant men and women of United States Forces Korea (USFK), are serving at the forefront of the last frontier of the Cold War.

While many in Washington have turned their attention to Iraq, Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina, and the War on Terror, it is important at the same time to recall how developments in East Asia affect the security and economic well-being of all Americans. The dark clouds that have been slowly gathering over the Korean peninsula for the past decade, therefore, should be of concern to us all. South Korea is a major ally and trading partner of the United States. U.S. forces still stand guard on that far-off peninsula over fifty years after the signing of the Armistice. Thus, our destiny has been intertwined with that of Korea for over five decades.

In this regard, I wish to commend you for your vigorous defense of American values, including democracy and human rights, and for holding to account those who would threaten America’s economic security through the systematic counterfeiting of our national currency. In this season of “peace on earth, good will toward men,” it is also fitting to recall our less fortunate brothers and sisters who are suffering under tyranny in North Korea or who are seeking shelter as refugees in China, as another family did in Egypt over two thousand years ago. Those who inflict suffering on these innocent people are, indeed, members of a “criminal regime.” Those who would make apologies for such a regime, whose nuclear proliferation, counterfeiting, gross human rights violations, and other illicit activities threaten the security and prosperity of the American people and the entire international community, are no friends of America or her people.

The Honorable Alexander R. Vershbow
December 20, 2005
Page Two

As you may know, Mr. Ambassador, I have been watching developments in the Asia-

Pacific region with keen interest for over sixty years, since I served under General MacArthur’s command in the liberation of the Philippines from the forces of Imperial Japan during World War II. I have seen certain nations in that region rise from abject poverty to unparalleled prosperity in those six decades, directly due to the protection of the U.S. security umbrella and to the stability provided by a strong American currency. We must protect both that security and that currency for the benefit of all.

The issue of North Korean counterfeiting of U.S. currency was a subject of urgent discussion at the TransAtlantic Legislators’ Dialogue (TLD) session held in London in early December. During a panel discussion of issues related to China, the subject of Irish Workers’ Party President Sean Garland and his involvement with North Korean counterfeiting operations were specifically raised by the American side. Mr. Garland, as you are aware, was arrested in Belfast on October 7^th, after a U.S. court indicted him on charges of distributing counterfeit U.S. currency in Europe and sought his extradition to the United States. Mr. Garland posted bail and then crossed the border to the Irish Republic to escape extradition. Staff from the Committee on International Relations specifically asked for assistance on this matter from a Member of the Irish Dail attending the London conference.

Ambassador Vershbow, I regret that other pressing official duties precluded my attendance at your swearing-in ceremony as American Ambassador to Seoul earlier this year, although I conveyed my congratulations through one of my Committee staff. You served your country with distinction as our nation’s chief diplomat to Russia, and you have continued to serve America’s national interests with vim and vigor in your new posting as our Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

Again, I extend my best wishes for health, happiness and continued professional success to you and your dedicated staff as you face the challenges to be presented in the New Year.

Sincerely,

HENRY J. HYDE
Chairman