First South Korea-US Foreign Ministers' Meeting under Yoon Administration... Discussion on North Korean Nuclear Issue

[Asia Economy Reporter Inho Yoo] The South Korea-US foreign ministers' meeting will be held in Washington on the 13th. It will be the first face-to-face meeting between Foreign Minister Park Jin and US Secretary of State Tony Blinken since Park's inauguration.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The two ministers plan to strengthen cooperation for the faithful implementation of the summit agreements and discuss close South Korea-US coordination on North Korea policy."

The two sides are expected to have in-depth discussions on cooperation measures regarding North Korea, which is escalating provocations such as preparing for a nuclear test.

If North Korea proceeds with a nuclear test, they are expected to exchange views on pushing for UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea as well as possible independent measures. Since the South Korea-US leaders agreed to expand the scale of joint exercises on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas and to reactivate the high-level Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), measures to strengthen extended deterrence may also be discussed.

Additionally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Minister Park and Secretary Blinken plan to exchange views on economic security issues such as supply chains and major regional and global situations.

Earlier, President Yoon and President Biden declared their intention to develop the South Korea-US alliance into a technological alliance and emphasized strengthening the strategic economic and technological partnership between the two countries in the joint statement released after the summit.

In the context of the Yoon administration actively aligning with the US-led global value alliance, discussions are also expected on cooperation measures regarding the Ukraine situation.

Furthermore, since President Yoon will attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, Spain, starting on the 29th, agenda coordination work in preparation for the second South Korea-US summit is also likely to proceed.

Minister Park will stay in Washington from the 12th to the 15th at Secretary Blinken's invitation and plans to meet with the US Congress and experts on the Korean Peninsula during his visit to request support and cooperation from the US political and academic circles for Korean Peninsula issues and the development of the South Korea-US global comprehensive strategic alliance.

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