Jin Park, Video Call with Blinken After Inauguration to Discuss 'Korea-US Summit'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Park Jin, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, exchanged views on current issues including the upcoming South Korea-US summit scheduled to be held in Seoul on the 21st during his first video call with US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on the 13th after taking office.

Foreign Minister Park Jin is entering the '40th Foreign Minister Inauguration Ceremony' held on the 12th at the annex of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The two ministers strongly condemned a series of provocations such as North Korea's ballistic missile launch the previous day, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they agreed to strengthen South Korea-US cooperation to firmly respond to North Korea's threats while maintaining a solid South Korea-US combined defense posture.

They also emphasized that both countries are open to dialogue with North Korea and agreed to make efforts to resume principled and consistent negotiations on North Korea's denuclearization.

The two ministers expressed concern about the outbreak of COVID-19 in North Korea. They agreed to continue discussions on humanitarian aid measures for North Korea together with the international community, drawing attention to whether South Korea-US consultations for COVID-19 support will be materialized.

North Korea acknowledged the occurrence of COVID-19 cases for the first time the previous day and disclosed details about the spread.

The two ministers also discussed preparations for the first summit between US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to be held in Seoul on the 21st.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Park welcomed President Biden's visit to South Korea just 10 days after the new government took office and said, "Let's prepare to make this summit a successful meeting that further elevates the comprehensive strategic alliance between South Korea and the US."

Secretary Blinken responded that President Biden's visit to South Korea in the shortest period ever after the launch of the new Korean government clearly shows the importance the US places on South Korea and the Indo-Pacific region. He added that based on this, they will build a foundation to strengthen South Korea-US cooperation on various issues.

Minister Park mentioned that President Yoon emphasized "freedom" as a core value of the new government in his inaugural speech and said that South Korea will expand its role not only in the Indo-Pacific region but also in responding to global issues, which Secretary Blinken welcomed.

Secretary Blinken also expressed appreciation for South Korea's active contribution to international cooperation to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

The two ministers agreed on the growing importance of cooperation in economic security fields such as supply chain recovery and shared the view to further strengthen strategic communication between South Korea and the US.

They also agreed to coordinate Minister Park's first visit to the US after taking office. Secretary Blinken extended an invitation for Minister Park to visit the US as soon as possible to have in-depth discussions on shared interests, and Minister Park expressed gratitude.

This video call with Secretary Blinken was the first time Minister Park, who took office the previous day, spoke with a foreign counterpart. Secretary Blinken congratulated Minister Park on his inauguration and expressed his intention to communicate frequently and cooperate closely going forward.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The call was conducted in a very warm and friendly atmosphere," and added, "They joked about calling each other by their first names (Tony and Jin) from now on and referred to it as the 'Jin-Tony relationship.'"

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