Pool Reports by Tarini Parti, The Wall Street Journal
| Sent: | Reports: |
| September 29, 2022 08:15 JST |
VP Travel Pool #1 Tokyo departure VP landed at Yokota Air Base at 7:54 am. She met with a group of service members right outside of the helicopter. She took a photo with them and chatted with them for a few minutes. Pool was too far back. She walked over to the plane and took another photo with a second group of service members and pet a service dog. VP then chatted with a greeter (name below). She boarded the plane at 8:11 am and waved at the top of the stairs. Didn't stop to chat. Press vans drove ahead to the base and arrived at 5:27 am. (You don't want to know how early our call time was) Wheels up for Seoul shortly. On background from a WH official: Before departing on AF2, the Vice President will be greeted by Lt. General Ricky N. Rupp, Commander, United States Air Force Japan. |
| September 29, 2022 10:34 KST |
VP Travel Pool #2 Seoul arrival AF2 landed at Osan Air Base at 10:15 am. No visitors during the flight. It's a pretty foggy day here. VP deplaned at 10:26 am. Greeters (names below) were lined up at the tarmac. She shook hands and briefly chatted with them. She got in her car at 10:28 am. Motorcade rolling for the Korean presidential office at 10:30 am. On Background from WH official: Upon landing at Osan Air Base, VP Harris was greeted by: - First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Dong, Republic of Korea Republic of Korea - General Paul J. LaCamera, Commander, United National Command / Combined Forces Commander, United States Forces Korea, Republic of Korea |
| September 29, 2022 12:01 KST |
VP Travel Pool #3 bilat Motorcade arrived at the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea at 11:25 am. VP entered the room for her bilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at 11:42 am. They took a photo together shaking hands by the flags before sitting down across from each other at a long table with their delegations. No news from spray remarks. Here's an otter link. Please check quotes against transcript. https://otter.ai/u/Bq09hDwNY6q9Gye-gqNo4i-kXf0 The president spoke first in Korean: "The ROK-US alliance is the linchpin that defends freedom, security and prosperity of Korean people, and I will do my utmost to further strengthen our alliance. I believe that your visit to Korea following President Biden's visit to Seoul last May, will be another turning point to achieve this goal" Harris went next: "For seven decades, the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea has been a linchpin of security and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and in the Indo Pacific…I'm here to reinforce the strength of our alliance and strengthen our work together." Pool was ushered out at 11:47 am. And we are no holding in press vans. On background attributed to a WH official: In the bilateral meeting with President Yoon, we anticipate the Vice President will discuss the strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance and review our work together across a number of regional and global challenges, and she will discuss our work to uphold international rules and norms and a free and open Indo-Pacific. She will underscore that the U.S.-ROK Alliance remains a linchpin of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. On the DPRK, the Vice President will condemn the recent ballistic missile launches and reaffirm our aligned approach to the threats the DPRK poses. She will reaffirm that our defense commitments to the ROK remain ironclad. The Vice President will underscore that the DPRK's actions threaten peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. She will reaffirm the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the Republic of Korea, which is underwritten by the full range of U.S. defense capabilities. We anticipate they will discuss China and recent developments across the Taiwan Strait and our efforts to preserve peace and stability across the Strait. The Vice President will welcome the growing strategic economic and technology partnership between the U.S. and the ROK and they will discuss progress made since President Biden's summit in May in Seoul. We anticipate they will discuss US-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation and the benefits of improving Japan-Republic of Korea bilateral ties. The Vice President will raise the importance she and the Biden-Harris Administration place on gender equity and women's economic empowerment in the ROK and around the world. On the IRA, the Vice President will reiterate what she conveyed to PM Han in Tokyo. She will discuss the historic investments made in clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act. She will underscore she understands the ROK's concerns regarding the Act's tax incentives for electric vehicles, and will pledge to continue to consult as the law is implemented. |
| September 29, 2022 12:20 KST |
VP Travel Pool #3b bilat participants Per WH, list of participants for the bilat: US Delegation: - VPOTUS Republic of Korea Delegation: - President Yoon Suk-Yeol, Republic of Korea |
| September 29, 2022 13:33 KST |
VP Travel Pool #4 women leaders event Motorcade was rolling from the presidential office to the chief of mission residence at 12:51 pm for the VP's round table discussion. Pool entered the room at 1:15 pm, VP started speaking right after. She was masked. She spoke for about a minute and half. Pool was ushered out at 1:18 pm. Your pooler shouted a q asking if she discussed equity with President Yoon. She said appeared to say yes and nodded her head Some quotes from her remarks. Please check against transcript: "I feel strongly that when women succeed, all of society succeeds." "Therefore I believe if we want to strengthen democracy, we must pay attention to gender equity." She mentioned she's met with women leaders in other countries she's traveled to as VP. And reiterated one of mothers sayings about maybe being the first but making sure you're not the last. "We share a responsibility to uphold democratic principles." Pool is now holding. On Background from a White House Official Today, Vice President Harris is convening a roundtable discussion with a group of groundbreaking women from across industries who have made strides in building a more inclusive and equitable society. This meeting will demonstrate the importance the Vice President and the Biden-Harris Administration place on gender equity around the world. Participants:
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| September 29, 2022 14:22 KST |
VP Travel Pool #5 Rolling to DMZ Motorcade rolling to the DMZ at 2:17 pm. It's supposed to be an hour to 90 min drive. FYI we just received a briefing on what to expect and were told we would not have cell service/wifi for a while, so I won't be able to send pool reports for a bit. We are also getting on AF2 right after to head back to DC, so will try my best to capture it all and send when possible in that window before departure. |
| September 29, 2022 15:42 KST |
VP Travel Pool #6 a. DMZ arrival VP's motorcade arrived at the DMZ at 3:06 pm. Pool set up immediately after in the dining facility here for VP's meet and greet with service members. Some potential news: Harris told one of the service members she was going to the Philippines later this year. Double checking with her staff. She walked into the room at 3:23 pm with a big hello to service members, some of whom had brought their young kids to meet the VP. She asked one of the service members from GA if he had texted his family to see how they were doing with the hurricane. She handed challenger coins as she shook hands. She asked another service member why he was hiding in the back and shook his hand. She asked a few of them, "tell me about you" as she shook their hands. She asked one of the little girls to shake her hand for a challenger coin but she was too shy so she gave it to her mother and explained what it was. VP said she was here to reinforce the relationships the US has. "Every morning I start our reading the PDB and it's about hot spots," she said, adding she frequently talks to the president about their priorities and the troops abroad. "You make our commitments real, so know how grateful and thankful we are. I know it's not always easy, but it makes a huge difference in the lives of many people you might never meet." VP signed one of the bricks on the walls of the facility 3:34 and said "honored to be part of the tradition." The brick had been marked with a white piece of paper around it and sharpie resting on the table below. Pool spotted several photos of Trump's visit to the DMZ all around the dining facility. Moving to next stop in a bus at 3:36 pm. (Btw I seem to have cell service for now, so will keep sending while I can) On background from a White House official: Today, as part of her trip to the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Vice President will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Nearly 70 years since the Korean Armistice, the visit will underscore the strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance, and the United States' commitment to stand beside the ROK in the face of any threats posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). While at the DMZ, Vice President Harris will meet with U.S. service members at the Camp Bonifas Dining Facility, visit Observation Post (OP) Ouellette, and tour T2 Conference Row. She will receive operation briefings while on site. The DMZ is approximately 160 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. It was established to serve as a buffer zone between the ROK and DPRK under the Korean Armistice Agreement of 1953. |
| September 29, 2022 16:12 KST |
VP Travel Pool #6b DMZ observation Pool took a bus up a steep hill to the observation deck. We were given a blue arm band with "Press" written on it. Harris got to the post at 3:49 pm and used the binoculars to look at out to the NK side as she was briefed on the area with the US and South Korean flags in the backdrop. The briefer told her about the two villages that fall within the DMZ. Harris asked for the population of the villages. When the briefer responded, Harris laughed and said, "When's the last time you took a census? Babies get born, things change." Another briefer then pointed VP to the demarcation line/border. The briefer also pointed to the various guard posts in the area. "It's so close," she said. "It's 50m away," the briefer responded. Harris also talked to the briefers about space at one point, bringing up images from the Webb telescope. "it's the most humbling thing you have ever seen, galaxies we didn't know existed, so when we think we've seen everything…" she said with a laugh. Harris then went down the steps from the post and met with another group of service members, who were lined up and wearing helmets and more of their combat kits. Pool was moved away at 4:06 pm. |
| September 29, 2022 16:56 KST |
VP Travel Pool #6c Harris T2/ shouted q VP entered the T2 conference room, in one of the blue buildings, at 4:15 pm. As she walked in, she looked at the pool on the other side and said, "So the press is on the North Korean side, right?" The center table in the conference room is divided at the center based on the border. We are on the other side of the table. "You stole part of my speech," her briefer in the room said. They both laughed. He briefed her on some of the history of the room, the negotiations that took place in the room, and how the communication happens between both sides at the DMZ. Harris nodded her head as she listened. "I hope you understand our function now," he said, as he wrapped up. Harris asked a few questions, including what is the process for preparing for high level talks and the average delayed response from the other side. Briefer said some responses on routine items take as little as 30 mins. "We also have a megaphone," he said. "So it's high tech," she responded. "This is historic," she said as she started walking out. "We've stepped into history." She then took a question from pool responding to NK's nuclear tests (quote below) before going out to look at the building that operates as the main part of the North Korean side of the DMZ behind the blue buildings on conference row. Pool spotted a guard in a hazmat suit peering out of a building. Another guard came out, also in a hazmat suit, and after a few mins, they closed the curtains. "It is clearly a provocation and it is meant we believe to destabilize the region and we're taking it seriously, and everyone should," she said. "And that is one of the reasons why the visit that I have made to Korea, to the Republic of Korea is important because it is a statement about the strength of our alliance and our dedication, the United states's dedication, to this alliance both in terms of security, American stability for the region and for the Indo-pacific as a whole." Pool now getting in place for Harris remarks. |
| September 29, 2022 17:10 KST |
VP Travel Pool #7 Harris DMZ remarks VP Harris walked out to the podium at 4:57 pm, with helicopters in the background. She put on her sunglasses for the remarks. Otter here https://otter.ai/u/SrCajFtTO2KzSZzZOn_6lXaFzvU Pool was rushed to helicopters to get to air base. Didn't see Harris take off. We will be wheels up shortly. Opening: "Here you see at the DMZ US soldiers serving shoulder to shoulder with soldiers from the Republic of Korea. They are training together they are committed to working in solidarity around a shared purpose and goal, which is to maintain the security and the stability of this region of the world. I cannot state enough that commitment of the United States to the defense of the Republic of Korea is ironclad." On nuclear threat: "With regard to the threats posed by the DPRK as I told President noon, we are aligned on this issue." "The DPRK has the ballistic missile launch program, apparently, including just yesterday and are destabilizing the peace and security of this region. Our shared goal, the United States and the Republic of Korea is a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula." " And we are reminded that the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea stands ready to address any contingency. The commitment of the United States to the defense of the Republic of Korea I will report is iron clad." "The DMZ also reminds us of the dramatically different hat that the two sides from those early days. Over the past seven decades. It has been clear in the south, we see a thriving democracy, innovation, economic prosperity… In the north, we see a brutal dictatorship, rampant human rights violations and an unlawful weapons program that threatens peace and stability. The United States and the world seek a stable and peaceful Korean peninsula where the DPRK is no longer a threat. We will continue to work alongside our partners here and everywhere as is necessary to maintain stability and peace in this region." |
| September 29, 2022 17:56 KST |
VP Travel Pool #8 correct otter link I am told I linked to the wrong otter in my pool report with the remarks while running to the helicopter. Here's the correct link. Sorry! |
| September 29, 2022 18:13 KST |
VP Travel Pool #9 Ian statement/wheels up VP landed at Osan Air Base at 5:58 pm. She got off the helicopter at 6:01 pm. She then walked over to talk to and take a photo with service members who were already in position in front of AF2. They cheered as she got in place for the photo and again after. Harris then took a selfie, holding out one of their phones. She shook hands with greeters and then came over to the pool to give a statement on Hurricane Ian: Part of it here: "The President and our administration are fully committed to offering and supplying federal support to state officials and doing everything we can to help them both in terms of recovery, but also whatever's necessary to ensure that folks are safe." She boarded at 6:08 pm. Wheels up shortly. |
| September 29, 2022 10:12 AKDT |
VP Travel Pool #10 Alaska re-fueling AF2 landed in Alaska around 8:45 am local time. We were done refueling and ready for takeoff at 10:10 am. Wheels up momentarily for our last leg of the trip. Pool didn't see VP during the stop. Btw, just before taking off in Seoul, VP came back for an OTR for 5 mins. |
| September 29, 2022 21:06 EDT |
VP Travel Pool #11 JBA AF2 landed at JBA at 8:44 pm. VP deplaned at 8:57 pm. She didn't stop to talk. Marine Two wheels up at 9:01 pm. That's all from the Asia trip. Have a good night! |
Kamala Harris, Vice Presidential Pool Reports of September 29, 2022 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/358282