US Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific to Visit Korea This Week... Expected Discussions on North Korea and Electric Vehicles

Visits to China, Korea, and Japan Scheduled from the 11th to the 14th

Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will sequentially visit China, South Korea, and Japan from the 11th to the 14th.

On the 10th (local time), the State Department announced that Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink will visit the three countries together with Laura Rosenberger, Senior Director for China and Taiwan at the White House National Security Council (NSC).

They will first visit China. The State Department stated that they will discuss follow-up measures to the first face-to-face summit last month in Bali, Indonesia, between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including responsibly managing competition between the two countries and exploring potential areas of cooperation. The State Department also said, "Preparations are underway for Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China early next year."

In particular, during this visit to China, the U.S. side is expected to once again raise the issue of international responsibility, including exerting influence over North Korea, which repeatedly provokes.

Following that, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink and others will visit South Korea and Japan to consult on various regional and bilateral issues, the State Department explained. It is expected to serve as an opportunity to reaffirm the determination to respond firmly in coordination between South Korea and the U.S., or among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, should North Korea carry out additional serious provocations such as nuclear tests while consultations on North Korean provocations continue.

There will also likely be an exchange of views on resolving discriminatory measures against Korean-made electric vehicles under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is currently under consultation between South Korea and the U.S. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink also visited South Korea in August, meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin and other officials to discuss North Korea and IRA issues.

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