US White House: North Korea to Be Central Topic at ROK-US Summit (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The White House announced on the 20th that North Korea will be a key agenda item at the South Korea-U.S. summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, scheduled for the 21st (local time).

On the day, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing regarding the summit, "We expect North Korea to be the central topic of discussion tomorrow."

She added, "In addition, climate and economic partnership will also be discussed."

Psaki said, "We will also discuss China," adding, "All of these will be part of the bilateral talks and summit tomorrow."

When asked about the possibility of a meeting between President Biden and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, Psaki said, "I do not expect that to be at the top of his (Biden's) agenda."

Regarding whether President Biden plans to request participation in the Indo-Pacific quadrilateral security dialogue known as the Quad (United States, Japan, Australia, India), which is known for its 'counter-China' nature, Psaki said, "The Quad has four member countries, and I don't want to get too mathematical, but those four members already exist." She then emphasized that South Korea is "a very important partner to the United States."

Psaki said about President Biden's first face-to-face bilateral meeting with President Moon, "I think it sends a clear message," adding that this is in the context of cooperating with South Korea to resolve regional security or strategic issues.

She also mentioned that the U.S. has various forms of cooperation with different countries, including cooperation with South Korea and Japan, as well as trilateral cooperation. She noted that there are various international organizations the U.S. belongs to, and South Korea is part of some of them, saying, "There is nothing to predict or expect regarding changes in Quad membership."

She continued, "I want to point out that the fact that they are here tomorrow, and that this is a full bilateral program, clearly highlights the importance of that strategic relationship."

Meanwhile, major foreign media outlets, citing sources, reported that the White House is trying to persuade President Moon to agree to strong expressions of concern about China in the joint statement of this summit.

According to five sources familiar with the situation, the White House hopes that President Moon will support strong language in the joint statement as part of a strategy to cooperate with allies to counter China.

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