Lee Nak-yeon Meets with U.S. Ambassador Harris: "The ROK-U.S. Alliance is a Key Pillar for Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula"

Starting with Lee Harris, Semifinal Ambassadors to Hold Consecutive Meetings

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] On the morning of the 20th, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, met with Harry Harris, the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, to discuss bilateral diplomatic and security issues including the Korea-U.S. alliance. Currently, both countries are actively pursuing a series of high-level talks to resolve issues such as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) on defense cost-sharing for U.S. Forces Korea and North Korea-U.S. denuclearization.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the meeting, Lee reiterated the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance. He stated, "The Korea-U.S. alliance has contributed as a core pillar for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia for the past 67 years," adding, "The alliance has continuously been enriched to meet the demands of the times and has come this far, and I believe it will continue to develop in this way." Ambassador Harris responded, "South Korea is a very exemplary allied partner and friend of the United States," and expressed his expectation for close cooperation during his tenure.

Starting with the meeting with Ambassador Harris, Lee plans to hold consecutive meetings with the ambassadors of the four major powers. Typically, ambassador meetings coincide with the inauguration of a new party leader, but they had been postponed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Lee is reportedly coordinating schedules to meet with Koji Tomita, the Japanese Ambassador to Korea, on the 22nd, and next week with Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, and Andrey Kulik, the Russian Ambassador to Korea. On the 21st, he will hold a press conference with foreign correspondents to express his positions on various diplomatic issues.

Lee has recently been consistently focusing on foreign affairs. On the 18th, he met with Takeo Kawamura, secretary-general of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary League and a close aide to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, to discuss current issues including compensation for forced labor. On the 15th, he held the launch ceremony of the Korean Peninsula Task Force (TF) and proposed dispatching a bipartisan delegation to the United States. Since the Korean Peninsula TF was established to understand the changing international leadership landscape, including the U.S. presidential election and the change of the Japanese cabinet, it is highly likely to serve as Lee’s diplomatic and security think tank in the future.

This is interpreted as a move to solidify his position as a presidential candidate. Lee has been focusing on domestic affairs by resolving controversies over multi-homeowners in real estate and establishing an ethics inspection team to strengthen party discipline. He is also consolidating organizational control by forming various policy task forces (TFs). The day before, he launched the Future Housing Promotion Team to address housing issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.