Biden's Final Visit to Korea from 8th to 11th, Discussing Korea-US Relations and Alliance Issues (Summary)

Consultation Between Lee Do-hoon, Head of Korean Peninsula Headquarters, and North Korea Nuclear Chief Representative
Dinner with Minister Kang Kyung-wha on the 11th... Leading the Working Negotiation Team as Special Representative for North Korea Since September 2018
U.S. Congress Allocates $2.2 Billion to Counter China in 'Pacific Deterrence Initiative'

Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, and Stephen Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Policy, are leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul on the morning of the 8th after concluding their talks and moving to the press conference venue. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Steven Biegun, Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea, will visit South Korea from the 8th for a 3-night, 4-day schedule to engage in high-level US-ROK consultations. With the Biden administration set to take office in January next year, this visit by Deputy Secretary Biegun is expected to be his last.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Deputy Secretary Biegun will visit South Korea from the 8th to the 11th at the invitation of First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-geun. During his visit, he will hold US-ROK deputy ministerial talks and senior-level consultations on North Korea’s nuclear issues, and also have a dinner meeting with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha. Since his appointment as Special Representative for North Korea in September 2018, Deputy Secretary Biegun has led the working-level negotiation team on North Korea.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "On the 11th, Minister Kang will host a dinner to encourage Deputy Secretary Biegun and the US delegation, evaluating the efforts made by Biegun and the US side to advance the US-ROK relationship and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, while also requesting continued interest and support from the US side."

The deputy ministerial talks will be held on the 9th at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Doryeom-dong, Seoul. This will be the first US-ROK deputy ministerial consultation in about three months since last September. The agenda is expected to include bilateral issues as well as discussions related to the newly proposed US-ROK director-level diplomatic consultative body called the "Alliance Dialogue," which both sides agreed to establish since September.

Deputy Secretary Biegun is also expected to reiterate the US position on the Indo-Pacific strategy, which key US administration officials such as Mark Naper, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, have emphasized whenever possible, in connection with the Moon Jae-in administration’s New Southern Policy.

According to local media including The Washington Post on the 6th (local time), the US Congress has newly established a "Pacific Deterrence Initiative" item in next year’s defense budget and allocated $2.2 billion (approximately 2.4 trillion KRW). This is interpreted as a determination to enhance US military power and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen alliances to counter China amid ongoing US-China tensions.

Following the deputy ministerial talks, Deputy Secretary Biegun will also hold senior-level consultations on North Korea’s nuclear issues with Lee Do-hoon, Director General for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs. Lee and Biegun met during Foreign Minister Kang’s visit to the US from the 8th to the 11th of last month, shortly after the US presidential election, to discuss managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the possibility of provocations by North Korea during the US administration transition.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Both sides plan to hold US-ROK senior-level consultations on North Korea’s nuclear issues and discuss cooperation measures for substantial progress toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace." Given the possibility of strategic provocations by North Korea during the US administration transition, the two sides are expected to discuss ways to manage the situation and maintain momentum for South-North-US dialogue after the new administration takes office.

Earlier, the US State Department also stated in a press release that Deputy Secretary Biegun will meet consecutively with South Korean officials to "discuss shared values and the US-ROK alliance for security, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," and that "he will also discuss the North Korea issue, which has been closely coordinated with the South Korean side."

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