Vice President Harris to Visit South Korea on the 29th (Comprehensive)

Vice President Harris to Visit Korea After Attending Abe's State Funeral on the 27th
Expected Discussions on Korea-US Issues Including Semiconductors

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will visit South Korea on the 29th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 8th, Vice President Harris is scheduled to meet with high-ranking officials of the South Korean government during this visit.

Vice President Harris is expected to visit South Korea after attending the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan, on the 27th.

It has been customary for U.S. presidents or vice presidents to visit both South Korea and Japan during their trips to Asia.

This visit by Vice President Harris will be the first by a sitting U.S. vice president to South Korea in four years since then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2017. Vice President Harris took office in January last year.

Vice President Harris plans to hold talks with senior South Korean government officials to engage in in-depth discussions on key cooperative issues of mutual interest between South Korea and the U.S., including the Korea-U.S. alliance, North Korea and its nuclear program, and economic matters.

Additionally, Vice President Harris is expected to carry out a schedule that includes visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) besides meetings with key figures.

Vice President Harris’s visit comes about four months after President Joe Biden’s visit in May. Such high-level communication between the South Korean and U.S. governments is expected to contribute to the development of the Korea-U.S. global comprehensive strategic alliance.

Meanwhile, the U.S. White House announced on the 7th (local time) that Vice President Harris will visit South Korea and Japan from the 25th to the 29th of this month. The White House explained that during her visits to South Korea and Japan, Vice President Harris will meet with senior government officials and representatives of civil society.

In this regard, a U.S. government official told CNN, “Vice President Harris is expected to meet both President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during her tour.”

If a meeting between President Yoon and Vice President Harris takes place, it is expected that issues such as North Korea’s nuclear program and the discrimination against Korean-made electric vehicles under the Inflation Reduction Act will also be discussed.

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