President Yoon talks with Speaker Pelosi for 40 minutes... "Will be a symbol of deterrence against North Korea"

President Yoon Holds 1+5 Conference Call with US House Delegation Including Speaker Pelosi During Accompanying Overseas Visit

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the afternoon of the 4th, President Yoon Suk-yeol had a 40-minute phone call with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, during which they discussed in considerable detail and at length issues related to diplomacy, defense, technology, youth, women, and climate change. In particular, President Yoon evaluated Pelosi’s visit to Korea, especially her visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA), as "a symbol of the deterrence against North Korea between South Korea and the U.S."

Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office, conveyed the details of the call at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon, stating, "From 2:30 PM today, there was a 40-minute phone conference in a 1+6 format involving Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, five accompanying House members, and Philip Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea." President Yoon made the call from his residence in Seocho-dong.

The U.S. congressional participants in the call included Speaker Pelosi, Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mark Takano, Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Susan DelBene, Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Raja Krishnamoorthi, member of the House Intelligence Committee, Andy Kim, U.S. Representative, and Philip Goldberg, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea. The call was conducted in a 1+5 meeting format.

Deputy Director Kim said, "First, Speaker Pelosi expressed her gratitude for President Yoon taking the time to speak despite spending his first summer vacation with his family."

He continued, "Speaker Pelosi mentioned that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is important from many perspectives, but especially from a moral standpoint, it is something that must be upheld. As seen in the recent unveiling ceremony of the South Korea-U.S. Memorial Wall in Washington, the peace and prosperity maintained through the sacrifices of countless people over decades must be preserved and nurtured by both countries." She also proposed that the two countries continue to foster a free and open Indo-Pacific order."

Deputy Director Kim added, "Each U.S. House participant was introduced one by one, and one-on-one discussions on specific issues took place between President Yoon and the members." Discussions between President Yoon and the U.S. House participants covered diplomacy, defense, technology, youth, women, and climate change issues.

Regarding the South Korea-U.S. summit held in Seoul on May 21, President Yoon promised to work closely with the U.S. Congress to further develop the global comprehensive strategic alliance with President Joe Biden, Deputy Director Kim explained.

He also mentioned Pelosi’s group’s visit schedule to the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom, emphasizing, "This visit by Pelosi’s group will be a symbol of the deterrence against North Korea between South Korea and the U.S.," and wished for the successful conclusion of her Asia tour.

President Yoon also requested the U.S. House delegation present on the call to "especially consider Korean-Americans and Koreans in their respective districts."

A presidential office official rebutted claims of neglect regarding the failed in-person meeting, explaining, "Although contact was made to see if a meeting was possible, President Yoon had already finalized his local vacation plans, and it was understood two weeks ago that it would be difficult to meet if Pelosi came to Seoul."

He emphasized, "Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was decided about a week later, so the fact that we did not meet was not due to concerns about China."

He added, "The President wanted to extend warm greetings even if only by phone, and when this was proposed early this morning, Speaker Pelosi readily expressed her gratitude and wished to discuss specifics with her accompanying members, resulting in a fairly long call."

Regarding the U.S.-led CHIPS Act alliance, the official said, "There was no mention of it," but added that U.S. congressional officials recently passed semiconductor legislation and expressed hope that South Korea would also benefit. This reflects an intention to concretize the partnership to innovatively develop the technology alliance, with cooperation to be pursued at the congressional rather than executive branch level.

When asked if there was any discussion about the Taiwan situation, the official replied, "The other side (Pelosi’s side) did not bring it up, and neither did we."

Regarding the possibility of North Korea reacting negatively to Pelosi’s visit to the Joint Security Area (JSA), the official said, "North Korea issued a message this morning in a question-and-answer format supporting China. From that perspective, the primary parties are Taiwan, China, and the U.S., but Pelosi’s visit to Seoul via Taiwan is presumed to make North Korea uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it would be an overreach to consider Pelosi’s JSA tour as a direct provocation."

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