Kritenbrink, U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Visits Korea... Discusses Supply Chain Restructuring and Other Issues

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State to Visit Korea on the Afternoon of the 25th, Meet with Foreign Minister Park Jin on the 26th
Discussing Strengthening the ROK-U.S. Alliance on North Korea's Nuclear Issue and Global Supply Chain Restructuring

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will visit South Korea on the afternoon of the 25th.

He will complete most of his schedule, including meetings with Korean officials on the 26th, and depart on the morning of the 27th.

Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink is expected to hold a U.S.-Korea deputy secretary-level consultation with his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Yeo Seung-bae, discussing bilateral issues, cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, regional, and global matters.

He is also reported to pay courtesy calls to Foreign Minister Park Jin, First Vice Minister Cho Hyun-dong, who oversees bilateral diplomacy, and Second Vice Minister Lee Do-hoon, who is in charge of multilateral and economic diplomacy.

Earlier, on the 19th, the U.S. Department of State announced in a press release that Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink would discuss ways to strengthen the U.S.-Korea alliance in Seoul, as well as enhance bilateral cooperation on a wide range of regional and global issues, including threats from North Korea and the war in Ukraine.

Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink is expected to exchange views on strengthening and developing the U.S.-Korea alliance, global supply chain restructuring, and other international issues.

There is also speculation that discussions may cover ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, including the necessary improvement of Korea-Japan relations as a prerequisite.

Furthermore, attention is focused on whether related discussions will take place amid President Yoon Seok-yeol’s announcement of the 'Bold Initiative' for North Korea policy in his Liberation Day speech.

When Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink first visited South Korea after his appointment in November last year, he met not only with presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties but also with business leaders, emphasizing the need for economic security cooperation between the U.S. and Korea. He also accompanied U.S. President Joe Biden during his visit to Korea in May this year.

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