Following Ministers Kang Kyung-hwa and Lee In-young, the National Assembly Also Plans a Visit to the U.S.... Diplomatic Battle to Intensify After the U.S. Presidential Election

Likely to Focus on Managing Situations Such as Quantum Issues and the Korean Peninsula Peace Process
Democratic Party's Korean Peninsula Task Force Also Visiting the US on the 16th... Early Next Year, Both Parties' Floor Leaders to Visit the US

Minister of Unification Lee In-young and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha attended the Foreign Affairs and Unification Party-Government Consultative Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd and are talking with Song Young-gil, Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As key government and National Assembly figures are successively planning visits to the United States in preparation for the post-U.S. presidential election period, a diplomatic battle targeting the new administration is expected to intensify. Following Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Unification Lee In-young is also planning a trip to the U.S., while the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, and the Democratic Party-led Korea Peninsula Task Force (TF) are also scheduling visits to the U.S. They are expected to focus on managing the situation to address the numerous bilateral issues and advance the Korean Peninsula peace process.

According to government and National Assembly sources on the 4th, Minister Kang plans to visit the U.S. after the presidential election on the 8th to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Minister Kang is personally traveling to the U.S. to meet Pompeo, who canceled his visit to Korea last month due to President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis.

During this U.S. visit, Minister Kang is expected to focus on managing the situation to prevent escalations such as North Korean provocations during the transitional period following the U.S. election. In particular, she will directly assess the trends of the new U.S. diplomatic and security team on-site and review measures to protect overseas Koreans in case of any unrest after the election. On the 3rd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a video conference with consular officers responsible for incidents and accidents at 13 U.S. regional missions to discuss protection measures and response plans for overseas nationals.

Director Lee Do-hoon of the Korea Peninsula Peace Negotiation Headquarters will accompany Minister Kang on this trip. Since Director Lee met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun in Washington D.C. at the end of September to discuss various issues including the Korean War “end-of-war declaration” and the killing of a South Korean official by North Korean forces, it is highly likely that related discussions will continue.

Minister Lee is also planning a visit to the U.S. This schedule follows the invitation from U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris to Deputy Secretary Biegun to visit the U.S. after Minister Lee’s inauguration in August. A Unification Ministry official said the day before, “There will soon be a press briefing regarding the U.S. visit, and there will be an appropriate opportunity to respond,” not denying the visit schedule itself.

The National Assembly is also planning successive visits to the U.S. to engage in diplomatic efforts targeting the new administration, the U.S. Congress, and civil society. Song Young-gil, chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party, plans to lead the party’s Korea Peninsula TF team to the U.S. on the 16th to meet the U.S. president-elect and his foreign and security advisors. Accompanied by Democratic Party lawmakers including Yoon Gun-young, Kim Byung-ki, and Kim Han-jung, they will exchange views with key U.S. figures on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Visits by the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties are also being planned. Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok is reported to have proposed visits to the U.S. early next year to the floor leaders as part of parliamentary diplomacy aimed at advancing the Korean Peninsula situation after the U.S. election. The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee is also scheduled to make two trips to the U.S., in December and January.

Professor Jung Dae-jin of Ajou University commented, “It appears to be for communication purposes to prepare for the transitional period after the U.S. election as part of routine situation management,” adding, “Since improvements in North Korea-U.S. relations inevitably lead to improvements in inter-Korean relations, the visits by the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Unification to the U.S. are positive in terms of gauging the local atmosphere related to the Korean Peninsula peace process.”

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is delivering opening remarks at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Party-Government-Assembly Council held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

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